


I Move the Stars For No One

by Truly_Hopeless



Category: Death Note (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale, Alternate Universe - No Death Note, Beyond Birthday is a Vengeful Bastard, Binding Promises, Content Warning: Infanticide, Cursed Blessings, Demon Deals (Sort Of But Not Really), Desperation, F/M, Failed Relationship, Fairies, First Kiss, Flirting, Forgotten Past, Fractured Fairy Tale, Glamour Usage, Goblins, Heartbreak, Jealousy, L is King of the Goblins, Labyrinth References, Light Cares About His Family, Light is an Assassin, M/M, Mentions of Character Death, Misa is a Queen, Orphans, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Parenthood, Pining, Prejudice Against Supernatural, Rumplestiltskin Elements, Tests of Character
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-03
Updated: 2020-12-18
Packaged: 2021-03-03 23:27:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 22,853
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24873844
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Truly_Hopeless/pseuds/Truly_Hopeless
Summary: Light is an assassin set for execution, but the newly crowned Queen offers him his freedom and a chance to start over if he can kill the man who allowed the murder of her parents. However, he runs into trouble when he can't find strong evidence that the man is guilty. Thankfully, a mysterious man offers his assistance for a price: Light's firstborn child.
Relationships: (Past) L/Misora Naomi, Amane Misa/Yagami Light (Mostly One-Sided), L/Yagami Light
Comments: 14
Kudos: 34





	1. Chapter One: An Impossible Task

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [MERMAN](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23412592) by [E_Leonora](https://archiveofourown.org/users/E_Leonora/pseuds/E_Leonora). 
  * Inspired by [Snow Moon](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24747580) by [Totoroto](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Totoroto/pseuds/Totoroto). 



> Hello. I'm Hopeless, nice to meet you all. So I've been reading some fanfics lately where the fairy tales have been altered and go with a L/Light angle (one for the Little Mermaid and another for Snow White) and have decided to give this a shot as well. This is my first time writing for this website (before, I've just been writing on FanFiction.net [and those fanfics are probably going to get deleted because they suck]) so I'm still getting used to the tags. I am still new to writing for Death Note; I've written two episode scripts for some fanfic radio drama my boyfriend and I are hoping to produce (assuming we can get the last voice we need) and I have a bunch of unfinished one-shots and one that has been finished on FF (that is probably garbage since no one has left any reviews). I don't know if there will be any lemons here since I've never written them before, but if I decide to include them, I'll bump up the rating.
> 
> Hope you enjoy.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Before Light's execution, the Queen offers him a chance to regain his freedom if he can complete a task for her.

“Kira?”

Light stirred and opened his eyes, turning to the source of the voice. He was still irritated that he was referred to by the alias he used for his assassination work instead of his actual name, but since he was set to die very soon, he never bothered to correct them. _At the very least, it might save Sayu from the shame that comes with having a criminal for a brother. I hope she’ll be okay._

Two women stood outside his cell along with one of the guards—Matsuda, he believed his surname was, one of the few guards who wasn’t treating him like dirt every chance he got. One woman was tall with white hair that looked to be in her forties and looked at Light with intense distrust and the other was a younger woman wearing a black dress and a deep red hooded cape that covered her face and hair.

“Yes? Is the execution happening tonight?” _I do not see the executioner, but he could just be outside making preparations._

“No, your execution has actually been postponed for the time being. I have a task for you to complete.”

The younger woman lowered her hood, revealing the blonde hair and blue eyes of Misa Amane, the woman rumored to be the new Queen. Despite her eyes being swollen and tinged with red—no doubt from mourning the deaths of her parents—she was still beautiful and her face was expressionless as she looked Light in the eyes.

Light, not forgetting his manners, even after a week of physical and verbal abuse from the guards for his “crimes,” bowed to her.

“Good evening, your Majesty. If what I’ve heard is true, I am sorry for your loss. No one deserves to lose their parents, especially not to a murderer.”

And he meant that, even if no one believed him as the other woman’s “cough” seemed to indicate. His own parents were murdered when he was eight years old, forcing him to look after Sayu all by himself. When he became an assassin, one of the personal rules he set for himself was to refuse any jobs that would have him kill a person who had children depending on them; the one exception he made was for abusive parents, and even then he did his best to make sure that the children wouldn’t be left alone since children without protection would be at the mercy of the ruling class, the often unfair laws that they make, and, in rare but dire circumstances, magical beings such as witches, fairies, and goblins.

“Thank you for your sympathy. And that’s what I wanted to speak to you about.”

Misa took a deep breath to compose herself.

“There were two men sent to kill my parents three nights ago. One was killed immediately after he broke into my room and tried to force himself onto me by Rem’s late husband Gelus. The other revealed before his execution this morning that he had been hired by someone from the Yotsuba kingdom, but he didn’t know who it was. Kira, have you ever been contracted to kill for someone in Yotsuba?”

Light nodded.

“I’ve taken a few jobs from that place, but most of them I rejected.” _They kept wanting me to kill people for petty things; give me someone who actually deserves to die._

“Did they ever ask you to kill my parents?”

“Yes.” _And I refused not only because it went against my all of principles, but because contrary to popular belief, I’m not suicidal; no amount of planning would help me escape execution if I failed, which definitely would have happened if I was forced to work with those idiots._ “But if you’re seeking a name, I’m afraid I can only tell you that the one who put the job out was one of the eight members of the royal court; I have no idea which one.”

“That’s fine. You've significantly narrowed it down. Which brings me to the task I want to give you: I want you to go to Yotsuba, find out who ordered my parents’ assassination, and, after providing your evidence and exposing them, execute them.”

Light stared at her in stunned silence.

 _The Queen is ordering me to kill someone? Is this a dream?_ He dug his fingernails into his palm, just enough to feel some discomfort. _No, this isn’t a dream._

“Forgive me, your Majesty, but why are you asking me to do it? As Queen, you should be able to carry out an investigation into your parents’ murders without the help of another murderer.”

The other woman, presumably Rem, spoke.

“The other kingdoms do not yet know about the deaths of the previous King and Queen and Misa’s coronation has not yet taken place. It was suggested from a reliable source that we keep that information from getting out and pretend that they are still alive and seeking a husband for their daughter. This is to set a trap for them. As such, we cannot let them know that we are investigating them. They also don’t know about Kira’s arrest so while I do not like that Misa is asking for your help, you are the best person for this job since you have been able to kill without being detected for five years; it should be easy for you to carry out a quiet investigation without letting people know what you are doing.”

“Ah.”

Matsuda unlocked Light’s cell as Misa continued explaining the task.

“You will leave for Yotsuba in the morning with Touta and Naomi. I will allow you to go home tonight so that you can prepare for the journey. You will all be in Yotsuba for one month, under the pretense of finding me a suitor.” She wrinkled her nose at the idea. “You will also be acting as Kira once more in case another assassination order is put out for either my parents or myself. You cannot stay beyond that time since that would draw too much attention. I expect for you to have finished the job by then. If you fail, your execution will be carried out when you return. The mission will also be considered a failure if you kill the wrong person or if you kill before you provide evidence of their guilt; the last thing I want to do as Queen is start a war. If you attempt to escape at any time, you will be killed immediately. But if you succeed, you will be pardoned from execution, released from prison, and I will make sure that you and your sister will be able to live comfortably for the rest of your lives so that you’ll never have to kill again. Good luck, Light Yagami.”

“I understand, your Majesty. I’ll make sure I won’t fail.”

* * *

That was nearly a month ago. Light had one week left to complete his mission and felt he was getting nowhere fast, causing him to feel frustration and despair.

If this had been a simple assassination mission, Light could have had this finished by now and could be back home with Sayu. He had a good idea on who had ordered the deaths: Duke Kyosuke Higuchi, a particularly nasty member of the court who repeatedly and violently mistreated his servants, constantly sent in assassination requests to Kira for minor slights against him (that of course Light refused), and arrogantly believed he was worthy of Misa’s hand in marriage and kept pushing for an audience with the royal family. And yet, he couldn’t kill him because he needed physical proof that he was responsible, not just a hunch.

Matsuda and Misora—who happened to be the one responsible for his capture as Kira—tried their best to help find evidence, but they couldn’t find anything either.

Light sighed as he wandered into a nearby forest. He promised his escorts that he would return in an hour; he just needed a moment to think on his own. And to let his emotions out without judgement; even if they thought he was nothing more than a criminal, he refused to let them see him cry or get angry.

_There has to be some way to prove that he did it, but this man is apparently not stupid enough to put out a second assassination order for the King and Queen. What do I do?_

“You look troubled. Is there anything I can do to help?”

Light spun around, heart pounding in his chest.

Before him stood a bizarre looking man. He had black hair that seemed to stick out in all directions, round dark grey eyes with shadows underneath, pale skin, and long, thin fingers on his hands. He was wearing a loose white shirt, black trousers, and was barefoot. While he was roughly the same height as Light, he was hunched over as he stared at Light intently, putting a finger to his mouth in thought.

After collecting himself, Light addressed the owl-like man.

“I’m not sure if there’s anything you can do to help me.”

The man smiled.

“I wouldn’t be so sure about that, Light. I’m one hundred percent sure that I can help you if you are willing to tell me what you need and willing to do something for me in return.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope that this was all right. I wasn't really sure what creature Rumpelstiltskin is supposed to be since he's only referred to as a "little man," but then I remembered Labyrinth, where the goblins take a child away because someone wished they would, and I did some online searching and I found this analysis https://interestingliterature.com/2017/01/a-summary-and-analysis-of-the-rumpelstiltskin-fairy-tale/#:~:text=The%20literal%20meaning%20of%20the,like%20a%20sort%20of%20poltergeist. that said "The literal meaning of the name ‘Rumpelstiltskin’ (Rumpelstilzchen in the Grimms’ German version) is ‘little rattle stilt’, from rumpelstilt, a goblin that was rumoured to make noises by rattling posts (or stilts), like a sort of poltergeist." So I decided to go with goblin for this one.
> 
> And once more, Misa is the catalyst for the plot; I just felt that instead of gold, she would be interested in justice for her parents so she'd want someone to get rid of the people responsible. She won't be villainous this time around, though I imagine that she will still be a bit possessive of Light.
> 
> Not much on the relationship front since this is the first chapter, but hopefully I will get to writing the next chapters and the bond can begin to form (assuming I don't lose a bet regarding losing weight, or if I don't get too caught up in my other stories).
> 
> Hope you liked this and I will see you guys later.


	2. Chapter Two: An Unusual Request

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Light is offered help from a strange but vaguely familiar man if he is willing to give up something valuable.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! Thank you for the feedback so far. Hope you'll enjoy this.

Light stared at the man in shock.

“How did you—?”

“You may not have noticed me, but I saw you in town today and I heard one of your companions say your name: Light Yagami. It’s not a very common name and I’d like to hear more about it if I can, but not at the moment. For now, I want to know what’s bothering you so that I can find a way to help you before you take out your anger on this poor willow.”

_Should I really be telling him anything? For all I know, he could be a spy for the nobles. And even if that isn’t the case, I doubt he’d want to help me for something like this._

Light considered his next words carefully before speaking again.

“There is a task I need to complete, a very important one that I’m running out of time for. If I succeed, I will be free and my sister and I will never again have to worry about how we’re going to eat or where we’ll sleep. But if I fail, I will be killed and my sister will be alone.”

“And I assume this task is much more important than looking for a suitor for your new Queen?” Something in Light’s face, despite his efforts to hide his feelings, must have shown fear for the odd man added, “Don’t worry, I am not with Yotsuba. They have violated the treaty we made ten times in the last month and I am beginning to lose my patience; a reminder of what I’m capable of might be required in the future if they keep disrespecting me like this.”

_So this man is a ruler from another kingdom? Then why does he dress like a peasant? Where is he from anyway? And why does he seem so familiar? I've seen him before, when I was younger, but I can't remember when or where._

“You are correct. The Queen wants to know who ordered the murder of her parents and wants me to kill him. The problem is that I have to find proof that he's guilty and present the evidence before I can do so; while I know who did it, I can’t act without proof or it will look like I killed an innocent man.”

“And the deadline is coming up soon?”

“In one week as of midnight.”

The man stood in silence as he thought over what Light said. Light expected him to take back his offer to help and leave to report this incident, or to lecture him about how killing doesn’t solve anything, or just say that this was something he couldn’t help him with.

His response was the last thing Light expected.

“Very well. I will help you find what you need to prove who killed the previous rulers of the Sakura kingdom on one condition: you must give your firstborn child to me.”

* * *

L watched the younger man as no doubt countless alarm bells started going off in his mind.

_Has he figured out who I am? What I am? Does he believe in the stories that have been told about me and my people? That would be a shame; after all this time, he still thinks I’m a monster._

After a moment, Light spoke again.

“If I were to overlook how strange this request is for a moment, I feel you picked a poor price for your services. I’m a murderer and no woman in her right mind would want to marry me if she knew what I’ve done. And I refuse to patronize prostitution rings—especially not ones with girls as young as my sister involved. So it’s very unlikely you would ever get the child you want. Couldn’t you ask for something else? I’m sure that if I explained to the Queen that you helped me, she would give you a reward as well.”

L shook his head.

“I’m not interested in money; I have plenty of it already and outside of allowing me to get things that I want such as ingredients for baking or gifts for my brothers and sisters, it has never given me joy. And I doubt that you will never have children, Light. You’re a handsome and intelligent man and that, along with other qualities, will likely be more than enough for most women to overlook your crimes.”

Light’s face started turning pink and he struggled to find a response to that. It took a full minute before he finally continued.

“Why do you want a child from me though? Surely, there must be someone who would want to marry you. You said you have money, I assume you are a Prince, or possibly a King, since you mentioned a treaty, you are also intelligent, and—” his face threatened to turn red again “—I know that there are women who will find you handsome, so why not marry and have children yourself?”

_Are you only saying that to be polite and return the compliment or do you really think I’m handsome? Would you still say that if you could see how I really am?_

“You flatter me, and you are correct about me being a King, but I’m afraid that most women—” _and men_ “—think I’m too ugly to marry, even if doing so would elevate their status, and the few who have looked past the surface end up hating me anyway, calling me ‘childish,’ ‘arrogant,’ and ‘perverted’ among other things.” _Don’t forget “cruel” and “unfair.”_

“Even if I found someone willing to put up with all of my flaws to be with me, I wouldn’t be able to have children with them since I am unable to reproduce. And before you ask, I have tried adopting children, but many of them are too afraid of me to willingly come with me and the few who do leave soon after, having been fed lies about what I would do to them.”

_“Goblins are greedy, goblins are violent, goblins do unspeakable things to the children they capture!”_

These and other lies were what forced L and members of his kingdom, many of whom he considered his family, to hide underground—even in places established as their territory like the forest he and Light were in—and made it nearly impossible to make connections with humans. The only ones who came to him and Watari were those who either had no safe place to go or were in desperate need of help; most of those people, whether they believed in the rumors or not, didn’t stay once their problems were solved.

_And sometimes they weren’t even fully solved; just look at Light. I let him go when he asked me to and he is still struggling to keep himself and his sister alive and together and could hang if he fails this task. But I won’t let him fail and I won’t let him out of my sight again._

“I’m sorry, but how can I be sure that these are only rumors? I don’t want to believe you are a bad man since we just met—” L wanted so badly to correct him, but he refrained from doing so “—but you are asking me to a place a child, _my_ child, if I am lucky enough to even have one, in your care and you just told me that children are afraid of you. How can I be sure that you will be a good guardian?”

“Perhaps this will ease your worries: you will still be allowed to see the child. I will show you—and the mother, if she too has concerns—where my home is as well as how to get there and I will let you visit them as much as you want so that you can make sure that they’re being cared for. And I will come to claim the child when they have lived a full year so that you have time to bond with them. Is this arrangement acceptable?”

He held out his hand. After a long pause, Light took it.

“Yes. I still doubt that I will ever have children, but if I do, I will give the firstborn to you.”

“And I promise to help you find the man who ordered the assassination of Reina and Hiroko Amane and allow you to visit your child whenever you wish.”

L could feel energy running through him and Light as the deal was made. Light looked startled, but he didn’t pull away until the energy stopped flowing between them.

“It’s settled then. I need to make preparations. Shall we meet in town in the morning?”

“That should be fine. Thank you for offering your assistance, your Majesty.”

“You may call me L. I am trying to draw as little attention to myself as possible at the moment and most people refuse to acknowledge that I have any authority anyway.” _And you and I should be equals._

“Very well. Thank you, L. I have to get back before my escorts think I’ve run off. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight.”

L stayed where he was until he could no longer see Light before heading back home. He arrived just in time for the transformation potion to wear off. He felt himself shrink a couple of feet, his ears grow longer, and his teeth become sharp; if he were to look in the mirror, he would see that he was paler now and that the shadows beneath his eyes became more pronounced.

“You cut it a bit close today, L. You should be more careful.”

The elder goblin shook his head at the King’s late arrival as he set down a fruit tart he just finished baking. In the corner, Mello and Near, L’s captain of the guard and strategist respectively, were playing a game of chess.

“My apologies, Watari. I was speaking to someone. And I intend to meet with him again throughout the week so I’m going to stay up to brew more potion.”

"Don't stay up too late."

Near's Bishop took Mello's last Pawn, the one right in front of his King.

“Checkmate.”

“You cheated!”

“No, you just weren’t paying attention.”

“What are you implying?!”

L stepped between the two before a fight could break out.

“Mello, Near, there’s something I need to do in Yotsuba tomorrow. Will you two help me?”

Both looked surprised.

“Of course, L! But what are we doing?”

L smiled. “We’re killing two birds with one stone by helping to get rid of a threat to our kingdom and beginning to build a bridge between us and humans.” _And, if I’m lucky, get Light to stay with me this time._

* * *

Back in the Sakura kingdom, Rem awoke with a feeling of dread.

_Something is getting in the way of Misa’s happiness. And it has something to do with Kira._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am still getting used to the site. Kind of frustrated that it won't let me just upload a document from my computer, that I have to copy and paste things and then reformat it, but I do like that I can be more specific about what the story is about and what is featured in it with the tags.
> 
> So for this chapter I decided to have it be mostly from L's point of view to help establish who he is and give an idea for why he does what he does. And to start establishing a connection to Light.
> 
> Also, I'm finding it's a bit of a challenge to try to be accurate to medieval times (not dialect, obviously, since I'll likely end up tearing my hair out over it, though I will avoid using words and phrases that weren't used until the 20th century); even if I could handwave some things as "it's a fairy tale setting, it doesn't have to be accurate," I still want things to make sense so as a result I ended up spending about an hour looking up what types of dessert they had back then (because I feel L would have a sweet tooth in every universe), finding a good reason for why Light couldn't just go up to Higuchi and kill him on sight, and a few other things. And I really hope that the names for the kingdoms so far aren't dumb, I just couldn't think of more clever names and I didn't want to just have everything be a nameless kingdom.
> 
> I will try to be quicker when it comes to writing other chapters; I just got back from a family vacation (that I'm seriously hoping wasn't a mistake considering what's currently going on, especially with the lax regulations in place [masks weren't required anywhere, they just said stay six feet away from people not in your group]), I have a day job, there is another Death Note project I'm trying to get off the ground (speaking of, may finish and post a one-shot based on it to try to get the word out more), and I have to meet my weight-loss goal or else I won't be allowed to write anything for fanficiton for a full month. But I do like this story since it's a fun thought exercise so I do want to see it through.


	3. Chapter Three: An Uncertain Future

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Light finishes his mission, Rem begins to look into L to find out how to protect Misa.

Fairies were fickle creatures, especially when it came to their relationships with humans. Some days, they were kind and granted wishes to people who helped them, other times they were spiteful and would curse people for minor offenses, and other times still they just wished to stir up trouble for a laugh. And then there were times where they would try to be helpful, but ended up unintentionally hurting people.

For instance, the Queen’s lady-in-waiting Kiyomi Takada. When she was a young girl, she helped who she thought was an ordinary old woman draw and carry water from the well. The woman turned out to be a fairy in disguise and blessed Kiyomi with an enchantment that would cause gold coins and jewels to fall from her mouth whenever she spoke.

This caused two problems for Kiyomi that still persist in her adulthood. Firstly, it’s uncomfortable to suddenly have a mouth full of treasure when you’re trying to speak to someone, especially in the early days when the jewels would cut her tongue and she nearly choked whenever she accidentally swallowed a coin. The other issue is that it made her a target for greedy people; it devastated her whenever she thought someone was interested in what she was saying (she enjoyed talking and sharing what she knew), especially if it was someone she found attractive, only to realize that all they cared about was collecting what fell from her lips in order to gamble at a tavern. There was even one occasion that haunts her to this day where violent thieves kidnapped her and forced her to talk for hours on pain of death to get as much money as possible; funnily enough, a younger Kira happened to have been given a job to kill the thieves and he helped the girl escape on the condition that she not identify him.

The fairy who gave her this ability was unable to take it back when the girl begged her to and the closest thing to a remedy came from a local witch; she would no longer be at risk of tearing her mouth and throat apart or choking to death if too many gems and coins filled her mouth before she could spit them out, and whenever she was scared or angry deadly creatures—poisonous frogs, spiders, and snakes—would come out instead to scare off (or kill, if it came to that) attackers, and of course they were enchanted so that they would not kill her either accidentally or deliberately. She was glad that she would no longer be in danger and was happy to have such an important job as Misa’s lady-in-waiting, but she was still frustrated that she had difficulty finding a man who wanted her for who she was instead of what she could do.

Another example, and a particularly tragic one, was the Queen herself. As tradition with Royal families, seven fairies (among them Rem and Gelus) arrived at Misa’s christening to gift her with qualities they felt were necessary for her to have. The first three were pretty standard gifts for a princess: beauty, charm, and kindness. The next three were uncommon for a princess but necessary for a strong ruler: resilience, initiative, and knowledge (Rem’s gift to her). The last gift came from Gelus and he wished for her to be loved by everyone.

At first, it seemed like a good gift since it allowed the whole kingdom to adore Misa, made even the most malevolent of creatures less willing to cause trouble for her, and it would ensure that she would never be alone. Unfortunately, the definition of “love” became twisted for certain people; the prevailing theory about the man who put out the assassination order to kill Reina and Hiroko was that he wanted to marry Misa in order to elevate his status without objection since her parents would immediately realize that he loved the idea of being King with her at his side more than he loved her, and one of the assassins in question was obsessed with Misa to the point that he forced his way into the princess’s chamber and tried to take her virginity. Gelus intervened, not wanting to see the girl he cared about be violated, and died for it since fairies, while allowed to do awful things to humans and other creatures such as force them to sleep for a century, turn them into animals, or make them obey any direct orders from other people for the rest of their lives, were forbidden from using their magic to kill them.

All because of a desire for a girl to be loved, Misa lost her parents, Rem lost her husband, and their hope of getting justice for them so that they can begin to heal now hinged on an assassin being able to identify, expose, and kill (or at least arrange for him to be killed) the bastard who caused them pain within one month. Rem could only hope that nothing else bad could come of this, but happy endings rarely come easily, even to those who deserve them.

* * *

“Rem, do you have any news regarding Light’s progress?”

Misa still wore black and still looked sad, but there were white floral patterns on the sleeves and she had flowers braided in her hair so she was slowly returning to her usual cheerful self. Kiyomi was at her side with several books in her hands, presumably for Misa’s lessons. The coronation was three days away, which happened to be the deadline for Kira to kill the man who had Misa’s parents murdered, so she needed to be ready for when her new status as Queen became public knowledge.

“He hasn’t killed him yet, but he and the others are closing in on him. With luck, they should expose him tonight and have him killed the following day.”

Rem, after having a nightmare where her goddaughter killed herself, made sure to religiously consult her special mirror in order to see where Kira was and what he was doing; with Gelus gone, all she cared about was Misa and she refused to lose her as well.

Her first thought was that Kira had either been caught or had somehow escaped his escorts, but that was proven false when she saw him return to the inn he, Naomi, and Touta were staying at and no Yotsuba guards came to arrest them.

Her relief was short-lived, however, as the next morning he met with a strange man and two boys. She could tell immediately that they were not human, that they were using either a spell or potion to make themselves look human—she should know since she and Gelus did the same so that people outside of the royal court wouldn’t harass them for something more spiteful fairies did.

The “man”—L, as Kira called him—could not be found by Rem’s mirror so she could only observe him when he was with the others. While he never did anything objectionable (at worst, he would chastise Touta for something careless and was something of a glutton when it came to sweets) and was actually helping them gather the evidence Kira needed to expose the murderer, there was something about him that made Rem uneasy and caused her to believe that he and Kira would end up doing something to make Misa unhappy, especially since he kept giving Kira a _look_ , a look typically reserved for lovers.

The boys who followed L she could also find no information about other than what she could see when they were present and what L told Kira. Their names were Mello and Near and L claimed that they were his younger brothers who were very good at slipping into areas without being noticed by the guards. They also had a tendency to bicker, though it was mostly Mello who started the arguments while Near responded coolly before L diffused the situation altogether.

Touta, while he did not like being referred to as a fool, was happy that Light had been able to find an ally in Yotsuba.

Naomi seemed to recognize L and was wary around him, but she said nothing to him. Rem made a note to ask her what she knew at the first opportunity.

Misa had been surprised but not displeased to learn that Kira was receiving extra help. _“The important thing is that my parents and Gelus are avenged. I don’t care if Light does it alone or with help as long as he gets it done. And if he is getting help, I’ll make sure to reward the others as well.”_ Rem agreed with her, but deep down she feared what this L hoped to gain by helping Kira if he wasn’t planning on betraying them at the last minute.

Then there was Misa’s opinion on Kira himself. She had recently taken to calling him by his real name and according to Kiyomi, he was the main thing she talked about during their breaks.

_“I think she’s fallen in love with him.” She didn’t bother to keep the rubies and pearls tucked under her tongue and let them fall to the floor, indicating that she had a lot more to say. “On a surface level, I understand; he’s courteous, intelligent, and beautiful. But he’s also a murderer and there are rumors that money wasn’t the only reason he killed so there’s no guarantee that he won’t go back to killing the moment he’s let go, even if he is given more gold than he’d know what to do with. I think she understands this too and is planning on keeping him around in some way. I have no say in what she’ll do as our new ruler, but I hope for her sake that she won’t decide to marry him the moment he gets back if he succeeds; the crier Demegawa would enjoy announcing that the new Queen not only pardoned Kira, but made him her equal and I feel the people would revolt.”_

Rem hoped that Misa wouldn’t either; she did not want Kira to be in a position where he could hurt the Queen or anyone else with little to no consequences. And even if Kira proved to be genuine, or if Gelus’ gift prevented him from hurting her, there was still L to worry about; what did he want from Kira, would Kira becoming King help in anyway, and would L’s desires hurt Misa?

Rem would go to Yotsuba tonight, after the murderer was exposed, find out what Naomi knew, and confront this L to find out what he wanted from Kira and how Misa played a part in that. For now, she had to play the role of the helpful fairy godmother by telling Misa what she wanted to know and smile at the flash of happiness in Misa’s eyes at this information before she left with Kiyomi.

* * *

“Your Majesty, we must apologize for deceiving you. We feel it is time to reveal to you the true reason for our visit.”

The King motioned for the young man to continue, his wife at his side. Out of the corner of his eye, Light could see Higuchi smirking, clearly thinking he knew where this was going; he knew from the start that Misa’s parents were dead and that Misa’s coronation would happen any day now.

“We told you at the start that Reina and Hiroko Amane were looking for a husband for their daughter and that they wanted us to start here. In truth, they are dead and Misa Amane’s first order as Queen was not to look for a husband but to find everyone responsible for her parents’ death and make them answer for what they’ve done.”

Murmurs echoed around the court as Light continued and the smile on Higuchi’s face fell.

“The two men who broke into the castle, murdered the King and Queen, and attempted to assault the then princess are already dead, but they did not act at random. They were hired by someone from your court to kill them and we were ordered to find evidence of who did it and if you will allow us to, we shall present it to you so we can execute the murderer.”

The King was furious.

“How disgusting! Hiroko was my friend and the Sakura kingdom has been our ally for decades, but someone from my own court ordered an attack on him and his family?! Yes, by all means present your proof so that I can be rid of the traitorous wretch!”

Higuchi was sweating now. _Writhe, you pathetic worm. Justice will always win._

For the next twenty minutes, Light and the others presented evidence of Higuchi’s guilt, the most damning being letters in his handwriting that matched the first attempt to order the Amanes’ deaths.

After all the evidence was laid out in front of him, the King ordered for Higuchi’s arrest and execution in the morning. Higuchi fled the court and, in an extreme act of cowardice, attempted to take the King’s young son hostage, but that plan had been foiled since Mello and Near, who predicted that he might try something like that, had moved the infant to another room and put a bundle of straw in his place.

In the end, Light caught up with him and, after disarming him, slit his throat, watching the fear in his eyes before he stopped breathing. The King did not reprimand Light for killing him, deciding that if he had been desperate enough to try to endanger his heir, it was probably for the best that he was killed here and now rather than wait for a public execution. He wrote and sent the Queen a letter that would tell her that her parents’ killer was dead and offer his apology for allowing such an awful person a positon of power.

* * *

“Light! You’ve done it! It’s finally over!” Matsuda was in high spirits tonight; he had been anxious that Light would fail since he didn’t like the idea of Sayu losing her remaining family and believed that Light deserved a chance to change.

Misora was not as warm as Matsuda—which made sense considering she had negative feelings toward Light for killing her husband as Kira, leaving her alone and six months pregnant (making Light feel guilty for killing him to try to avoid getting caught for a different murder)—but she still congratulated him. “I hope you do well with this second chance you earned.”

L just smiled. While Light still found the man bizarre and wasn’t completely sure if he could trust him, he found that he enjoyed his company and felt a little sad that they would be parting ways.

_But not forever, assuming I’m able to keep my promise to him._

Matsuda continued. “So I was thinking that since we return home tomorrow, we should celebrate tonight. I remember hearing something about a performance of some kind being put on tonight at the place we’re staying at. We could watch it while enjoying some drinks.”

“I’ll watch, but I won’t be drinking anything since I was told it would be bad for the baby.” Misora placed a hand over her belly.

“I’d like to join you all, but I’m afraid it’s getting late and I need to take my brothers back to where we’re staying. If I do not get to see you before you leave tomorrow, I will bid you all farewell.”

L left with Mello and Near, sharing one last look with Light. _Why do I feel so bad when I see him leave? And why can’t I still figure out where I’ve seen him before this mission? He seems to know a lot about me, but I know almost nothing about him, not even where he comes from._

He decided that after the others went to bed, he would slip out and try to find him again to ask him about these things.

* * *

L knew he was being watched. During the confrontation with Higuchi, he saw an orb of light at one of the high windows and recognized it as a fairy. Outside of one instant where Naomi had excused herself from the group (presumably after seeing the fairy as well), the light continued following them and he could hear a quiet female voice in his head saying "Goblin King, we need to talk."

_So much for spending one fun evening with Light before he has to go home._

After he, Mello, and Near ventured far enough into the forest where they would be away from prying eyes, L decided to confront the fairy.

“I see you up there. What do you want from me?”

The orb came down and grew into the size of a person. The fairy Rem stood there, her hair now tinged with indigo and white wings protruding from her back. Her golden eyes fixed L with a piercing stare.

“I would like to know what bargain you’ve made with Kira, Goblin King.”

Mello had his fingers wrapped around the hilt of his sword at these words. “Do anything to hurt us and I’ll cut your wings off.”

“Calm yourself, Mello. First of all, his name is Light Yagami; he is more than his profession, especially a profession he is about to leave behind.” _At least, I hope so since he slowly destroys himself with each new kill._ “And second of all, I do not see how any arrangements the two of us made concern you. I did my part by providing him help finding the evidence to expose Higuchi and sometime in the future he will keep his end of the bargain.”

“But are you sure that you two are the only people involved?”

“I beg your pardon?”

Rem sighed.

“I’ve had a terrible vision of my goddaughter, Misa Amane. She was standing at the top of a high tower and was crying. She mentioned Ki— _Light Yagami_ , asking over and over again why something so awful had to happen. The dream ended with her jumping to her death. It has also come to my attention that she has quickly become attached to him even though they have only met once. I do not know who he is as a person, but I have a pretty good idea about who _you_ are.

“You make deals with desperate people to solve their problems and either take away something they value or force them to become your servants. Tierry, Merrie, Naomi—all of them in your debt because you did something for them and they either couldn’t or wouldn’t give up what they held dear. I’m worried that your deal with Light will result in you either taking away something that belongs to both of them or enslaving Light if he refuses and make Misa miserable.”

Near spoke up.

“The only way that can happen in this case is if she or anyone else tries to violate the contract. From what I was told, this particular deal is fairly generous since nothing is truly ‘taken away,’ just moved to a new home where both Light and Queen Misa—if she is involved—can still visit. Nothing is lost and no one is forced to become a servant as long as everyone in the kingdom can, for once, not treat us like criminals or mindless beasts. While our King is far from perfect, I ask that you have a little more faith in him instead of assuming he wants to hurt others.”

There was a long moment of silence while Rem considered these words.

“Very well, Goblin King. I will do my best not to interfere with this _deal_ , whatever it is, if it will prevent a disaster. But know this: if my vision becomes a reality, I will not hesitate to kill you because at that point I will have nothing else to lose.”

She then flew off. The three goblins continued their journey home.

“L, I hope you know what you’re doing. While you have established a plan in the event of something horrible happening to you, I do not like the idea of losing you because of a careless mistake.”

“Don’t worry, Near. Everything will be fine.”

But L himself started to have doubts.

_What if someone does try to interfere with our deal? I don’t want to make Light or his future wife unhappy by barring them from seeing their baby and I don’t want Light to become yet another servant, but there’s no guarantee that the people of Sakura will trust us and not try something. All I can do is hope that no matter what else happens, Light will be happy._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, this was longer than I thought it would be. Thanks for sticking around. Also, I found out how to paste so no more annoying reformatting! =D
> 
> So I decided to focus a bit on Rem in this chapter since I feel that she would always want to protect Misa, though in this universe as her godmother rather than a love interest (sorry to any Rem/Misa shippers; maybe in another story). Also decided to have the first reference to another fairy tale in this chapter with Kiyomi. The fairy tale in question is "Toads and Diamonds," and I decided to take the approach that other modern interpretations of this particular story takes by showing how not all fairy gifts are good. For convenience, I made Kiyomi have both the gems and the snakes since I felt that'd make more sense than giving her a sister to take on the other enchantment.
> 
> I apologize for rushing the confrontation with Higuchi; I just really didn't want to spend several chapters dedicated to investigating the git and wanted to get on with building up relationships and the crux of the main fairy tale this is influenced by.
> 
> Hope you are all doing well (or as well as you can be). Have a good night/day.


	4. Chapter Four: A Moment in the Forest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Light seeks out L to learn more about him and begins to regain parts of his memory.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize that this took so long; joined the Census (a decision I regret a lot) so that's kept me away from writing for a bit on top of the usual struggle I have to figure out how to continue a story. And the characters may be slightly OOC here so I apologize if you don't like that (even if this is a fairy tale AU). I just felt that I needed some sparks to start flying between Light and L since I don't want this to be too much of a slow burn.
> 
> On with the story!

After leaving a note promising to return before sunrise, Light quietly left the inn while the others slept and made his way to the forest where he had first met L. He had no idea where the King and his brothers were staying, but he remembered seeing them head in the direction of the forest so he decided to go there and hope that he might find L outside thinking like he did for Light.

_Unless he was following me. He did say that he saw me earlier that day and he knew the made up reason we came here. Maybe he was waiting for me to be alone. Maybe he’s been following me for longer than that. But for how long and why?_

He brushed these thoughts aside as he passed the willow tree where he and L met. He would get these answers from L as soon as he found him.

Light could hear owls calling out to each other the further into the forest he got. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a tawny looking right at him, almost as if to ask the man why he was here.

“I just want to talk to L. You wouldn’t happen to know where he is, would you?”

The owl continued staring for a moment before taking off. _Well, what did I expect? That he would talk back to me?_ Light shook his head and continued walking.

After what felt like an hour, in which Light considered giving up and returning to the inn, he came across what looked like a peach tree covered in blossoms, except that the petals had flashes gold among the pink. In front of the tree was a sign that said, “Do not take or eat the peaches!”

Light didn’t know why, but he began to feel uneasy when he saw the tree and the sign.

_I mean, I never really liked peaches, but they typically don’t cause me to feel this way. So why—?_

* * *

_It was May, he was fourteen years old, and he was running through a forest similar to this one. He was trying to look for Sayu, who had run off after an argument they had._

_Light had only been an assassin for half a year and in order to avoid getting caught, he and his sister moved around a lot; they never stayed in one town for longer than two weeks. Sayu, who at the time did not know what he did in order to earn money and did not want to lose the friends she had made in Light’s absence, accused her brother of not caring about her happiness when he told her that they had to leave again that night and could not explain why._

_And Light, in anger, said something you should never say to someone you care about: “If that’s how you feel, then leave. I hope the goblins take you away.”_

_He regretted his words immediately, but he didn’t apologize at that moment, even as tears welled up in her eyes and her lower lip trembled before she ran to what served as her room, since he was concerned about making sure that they could leave as soon as possible. He planned to make it up to her later; apologize, tell her about the new city they were going to (which was a city the then Princess Misa was rumored to visit often since Sayu had always wanted to see her in person), maybe buy her a pet to keep her company if he can afford one (hopefully a cat since, on top of being affectionate and requiring very little maintenance, they could prevent mice from stealing their food)._

_But when he went to check on her, she had left. Cursing, he left the abandoned house they were staying in and followed the trail of footprints left in the dirt, hoping that he could find her before she became a wolf’s supper. Or worse, Light thought with a pang of guilt, the goblins found her._

_Much too soon, Sayu’s footprints faded away, leaving Light with no indication of where she could have gone. He began to call out to her, hoping that she would hear him instead of something or someone unpleasant (while he did have his dagger on him just in case, he didn’t want to use it unless it was for his work or for emergencies)._

_“Sayu! Please come back! I’m sorry for what I said to you! I didn’t mean it!”_

_No answer._

_Just then, he felt his stomach begin to hurt; he had not eaten much in the last couple of days, being focused on killing several thieves and escorting their tired and silent captive home (she was somewhat haughty when she realized that he was Kira, but she had been grateful to him for rescuing her, agreeing not to tell anyone who he was and even giving him some gold and jewels that apparently came from her [she had scribbled out on a scrap of parchment “Fairy blessing, feels more like a curse, it’s the reason I was taken; you should take it all since you clearly need it and I don’t want it.”]). His eyes fell on a peach tree and, despite the sign warning him not to, he took one of the peaches and ate it, thinking that he would leave a little money behind to make up for the theft._

_When he finished eating it, he suddenly felt dizzy and he started to forget why he was in the forest to begin with or even who he was. Two figures, roughly three feet high, both male, and one of them carrying a spear—a pale one who had wild dark brown hair and icy blue eyes—approached him. Light realized they were goblins from their pointed ears and the somewhat sharp teeth of the one carrying the spear when he snarled at him, and he held his dagger up in case they tried to attack him, even though he knew he had no chance against them._

_“Hey! Did you eat one of the peaches?!”_

_“B, keep your voice down! What if he has someone with him, someone with arrows or a dog?”_

_“Then I’ll deal with them after I deal with this one, A.”_

_“But he’s just a child!”_

_“Perhaps by your standards, but as far as society is concerned, he is a man and one that knows how to kill; look at the way he’s holding that knife! This is a killer!”_

_“Even still, if he ate a peach, he’s not likely going to be able to do much to hurt anyone.”_

_There were more words exchanged between the two goblins, but Light did not catch any of it as he started to feel his strength leaving him. He barely even noticed when a third goblin, with black hair and dark grey eyes, arrived and appeared to say something to the effect of “I’ll take care of this.” He dropped his dagger and started falling, but he didn’t hit the ground; the third goblin had caught him before he could. His hands were softer than Light thought they would be as he carefully held the boy, as if he were made of glass. He seemed to be trying to say something to reassure Light, but Light couldn’t hear him and his world went black._

* * *

“Light? Is everything all right?”

He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned around to find the one he was looking for.

“I-I’m fine. I just remembered something.” _Is L a goblin?! He wants my firstborn child, assuming I can even have children, and he might have been there the night Sayu had run away. The rumors say that goblins seek out unwanted children and keep them in their homes forever. Did I nearly doom Sayu and did I doom my child by making that deal?! No, don’t be ridiculous! He's not a goblin. There has to be more to it than that; Sayu returned—how, I don’t quite remember—and if he wanted to hurt the child, he wouldn’t have agreed to letting me see them, especially if that meant revealing where the goblins lived. And even if he is a goblin, he hasn’t done anything to prove he’s a monster._

L looked at the peach tree, his hand not leaving Light’s shoulder. “I honestly wish that there weren’t so many of these trees. They’re supposed to help people connect with each other: people who eat the peach enter a dreamlike trance and if they shared the peach with others, they are able to understand each other and they form a bond. Unfortunately, it also makes people vulnerable and causes them to forget things, including what happens while under the influence of the peach, so it has become an ideal tool for rapists and other criminals to do what they want without witnesses since it can take years to fully recover the lost memories and only under the right circumstances.”

“That’s horrible!”

“Indeed. And it gets worse if a person eats the whole thing by themself since they’ll frequently experience nightmares until their memories are fully recovered and will have a harder time getting them back. Which is why we put up the signs whenever we find these and try to prevent people from taking the peaches, either for themselves as food or to use on other people. Of course, there have been some times where we failed to stop them; all it takes is for someone to be away from their post for a moment too long and someone either determined or desperate enough to be in the perfect position to take one and things can go wrong quickly. From there, all we can do is try to mitigate the damage done. But enough about the peaches; you came out here to look for me, right?”

“Yes. I wanted to ask you some questions, if you don’t mind.”

“By all means.”

“There were times during our conversations over the past few days where it felt like you knew more about me than is expected of someone I just met. You knew about the things I liked, the things I hated, the people I considered friends, my lack of success in courting, and my previous dream of becoming a knight like my father—none of which I told you about. So I need to know two things: was there a time where we knew each other before this week that I’m not remembering? And have you continued watching me since then without me noticing you?”

L nodded. “About five years ago, I and a couple of brothers of mine found you in a forest not far from one of our hideaways. You had eaten one of the peaches, likely out of hunger and without knowing its properties, and you passed out, so that’s why you don’t remember me. We took you in and kept you for three days since that’s how long it took for the effects to wear off. You didn’t like me initially, in fact you tried to kill me—don’t worry, I won’t hold that against you—but I feel that we bonded as we worked together to locate your sister. I wanted you to stay, but you said that you needed to go back so I let you go. I hoped that I’d be able to continue our friendship someday, so I have made a point to check in on you from time to time. Until now, I didn’t approach you and I often disguised myself since I didn’t know how you would react if you saw me.”

 _It still sounds like there’s something he’s not telling me._ “So does this mean that you knew about my death sentence as Kira before you talked to me?”

“Yes. I was not happy to learn that you chose to kill to survive, but, at the same time, the thought of you being executed for it made me miserable. I was relieved to learn that the new Queen Misa offered you a way out, but I could also see that you were struggling to do it in the way that she ordered you to.”

 _So it isn’t just about wanting a child? He genuinely wanted to help me?_ “Forgive me if this sounds ungrateful for what you’ve done for me or like I’m trying to get out of our bargain, but why did you ask for my child in exchange for your help?”

L was silent for what felt like an eternity. Light feared that he had offended the King and that he would do _something_ in retaliation. Or worse(?): leave him alone and never speak to him again.

Suddenly, L pulled Light toward him and pressed their lips together.

The younger man was startled, but soon relaxed and allowed himself to kiss him back, opening his mouth slightly to deepen the kiss. L tasted sweet, like the treats he often consumed, and he left no area of Light’s mouth unexplored. Light's fingers ended up tangling in the King’s hair as he returned the kiss, either forgetting or no longer caring that less than five minutes ago he suspected that he wasn’t human.

After a minute, L broke the kiss. As Light caught his breath, he finally answered the question.

“I can’t tell you everything at this time, not until the rest of your memories have returned, but part of the reason I made the deal was because I want to be with you, Light. I feel selfish for admitting this, but I was afraid that I wouldn’t see you again once the deed was done if I just agreed to help you outright, even if I tried telling you that we were friends once. However, I knew that making a deal that required you to live with me forever would be unfair to you since I know that you’d still want to be able to protect your sister and see the world and I didn’t know if you would feel the same way towards me. So I arranged it so that there would be a reason for us to continue seeing each other. Your firstborn will stay with me and you will be allowed to visit them whenever you want. Even if you still don’t love me, I’m happy as long as I get to see you.”

Light was at a loss for words and various conflicting emotions ran through him all at once. A part of him wanted to hit L for not being honest from the beginning and having the audacity to kiss him without asking if it would be okay first (royalty or not, there are rules that must be followed), a part of him wanted to try to question him further and find out what else he’s been hiding, and yet another part of him just wanted to kiss him again— ~~and possibly do some _other_ things, if L allowed it~~—without caring if someone found them, but he knew that none of those things would be the right reaction in that instance. L was looking at him, apparently waiting for a response.

Finally, Light spoke.

“I understand. I’m not completely sure if I’m in love with you since I don’t know enough about you; I don’t even remember our actual first meeting.” _Only gentle hands preventing me from hitting the ground_. “With that said, I want to continue seeing you and getting to know you, and…I wouldn’t mind if we did more of what we just did. I don’t want the next time we see each other to be whenever I’m able to keep my promise. If you were being honest with me when you say that we used to be friends and that you love me, then I want you to come see me and talk to me more often, not just watch me.”

L took Light’s hands in his and squeezed them.

“I’ll do what I can. I won’t be able to visit you every day since I have responsibilities I need to fulfill, but I promise to make time to come see you at least once a month from now on. At the very least, I’ll try to be there for Queen Misa’s coronation.”

Light smiled. “I look forward to it. Goodnight, L.” Then he leaned in to kiss him again, to which the King happily obliged. It was a shorter kiss, but still a pleasant one and as he made his way back to the inn, he felt, for the first time in a long time, happy. _Things are finally getting better._

* * *

L watched Light leave the forest, sad to see him go, but happy knowing that this wouldn’t be the last time he saw him. He was relieved to know that Light was willing to give him a chance, after so many before him had rejected him or fell out of love with him. He just hoped that he would remain open-minded after he learned more of who he truly was, whether that be when he regained his memory or when L decided to tell him the truth.

**_SNAP!_ **

L turned around to see Naomi Misora standing behind a tree. A flash of fear appeared in her eyes at having been caught spying, but it faded away quickly and was replaced with a cold determination.

_Speaking of falling out of love…_

“Good evening, Naomi. I trust you are well?”

“I am, your Majesty.”

“How long have you been there?”

“I followed Yagami out here when I heard him slip out, just to make sure that nothing happened to him. And to put it kindly, I do not like that you are not being completely honest with him about who you are. It isn’t fair to him and it isn’t fair to you, especially if you’re trying to form a relationship with him and made a similar deal to one you made with me. The deal that I was unable to keep because of that _monster_ you once called your brother that I’m still paying for because of the way the contract was done.”

She glanced down at her right palm, where a faint “L” could be seen. The brand appeared the day that her firstborn daughter from her husband before Raye—an abusive lord who had murdered all six of his previous wives before marrying Naomi and would have killed her too had L not intervened—had been thrown down a well by Beyond, a goblin that L banished for this and other violent acts towards humans, before L could claim the child as his. Because the contract was broken (even if it was unintentional), she became L's servant—an informant, to be precise—and their engagement came to an end.

“At least you told me you were a goblin from the beginning, you didn’t pretend to be human. If Yagami finds out about this, how can you be sure that he won’t reject you like the rest of your past lovers and possibly try to find a way out of the agreement? Or, if he is able to love you as you are like I once did, what’s to stop _him_ or someone else from interfering and putting him in a similar situation or worse?”

“It won’t happen again,” L said forcefully, trying to quell the sudden anxiety that flooded through him. _How could I have forgotten Beyond? He was so devastated when Axiom died at the hands of sadistic hunters that he decided to take it out on all humans, regardless of if they deserved it or not, and hated that I kept trying to negotiate peace with them, had proposed marriage to Naomi, and wanted to adopt children. While there are rumors of him having been killed by “Kira,” I doubt they are true. He would definitely take issue with me taking care of Light’s child, especially after I banished him for killing less than Light did—at least as far as I know. And while Light said he liked it when I kissed him, what if he suddenly finds me too repulsive to even look at when he learns the truth?_

“I hope you’re right. I’ll do what I can on my end to make sure that nothing bad will happen to whoever he chooses to have a child with or the baby when they’re born. But please consider what I’ve said. Goodnight, your Majesty.”

L did not sleep for the rest of the night, knowing that if he did, nightmares of Light rejecting him or of Beyond dangling the mangled corpse of his child would be all that awaited him. So instead, he set about coming up with plans to keep Light’s child safe from harm and happy. As for what Naomi said, he knew that she was right and he decided to take his former fiancée's advice.

_Light, when I see you again, I will show you what I am really like. I can only hope that you won’t run away like the others._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A downer moment following a tender moment? Yeah, that sounds about right! Nice going, me.
> 
> So another fairy tale reference: Naomi's backstory is influenced by Charles Perrault's Bluebeard. Basically, a noble (who has a blue beard) takes a young woman to become his wife and while away on a trip, he leaves her the keys to all the locked rooms in his manor and tells her that she's allowed to enter any room that she likes except for one specific room. Of course, she goes into the room he told her not to go to and discovers the corpses of his previous wives in there and nearly winds up dead herself when the husband returns and discovers what she did (the key has blood on it that she can't wash away). I imagine that Naomi may have married this version of Bluebeard to investigate him on behalf of the family of one of the killed girls and L stepped in to help her first avoid getting caught (I think there was one variation of the story where the wife was able to avoid being killed because someone showed her how to get rid of the blood) and killed, then to expose him as a murderer so that he is executed in exchange for her child. Such a shame that B's a vengeful bastard in this story and ruined that arrangement.
> 
> So I've decided to raise the rating to M just to be on the safe side; not ready to do anything truly risqué (I wasn't even sure how to write the kissing scene, do you really think I could pull off a lemon?), but I feel that raising the rating allows me a little more freedom.
> 
> I apologize again for taking so long to write this; I may post a bonus chapter (a rejected prologue that I wrote when I was still trying to figure out how the story should begin) to make up for it later today.


	5. Bonus Chapter: Cut Prologue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A goblin meets a boy and they become friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Basically, this is a chapter that I wrote for the story when I was still trying to figure out how I wanted it to begin. I at first thought that a prologue establishing Light and L's past relationship was the way to go, but then I decided to scrap it since I felt that having a prologue would remove any mystery of how L knew Light and it just made more sense to begin the story like I did. I decided not to delete this chapter from my computer and as you can see, I held on to some plot elements (albeit tweaking them a bit more).
> 
> So I decided to share it with you to make up for me taking so long to update the story proper. 
> 
> Side Note: L and Light are the same age in this chapter (8) because I wasn't sure if I wanted to keep the age gap between them or not (6-7 years is a lot, especially when Light is 18-19 when the story actually begins). I kept the age difference, but to avoid squicking myself or other readers out too much decided that L didn't start feeling attraction to him until he was 18; even if the legal age of consent back in medieval times was 14, it feels wrong to me to have a 20-year-old be in love with a 14-year-old, even if nothing happens between them.
> 
> Hope you'll enjoy and I will try to be more timely with the release of the next chapter (though that may be difficult since I've had some ideas for shorter stories that I'd like to have finished by Halloween, some related to Death Note, others not so much).

L had been watching the boy for several hours now. Maybe it was because he never saw a human as young as he was before or maybe he was just captivated by the boy's amber eyes and the brown hair falling into his face as he explored the meadow surrounding the goblin hideaway, not stopping even when it started to rain. Either way, L couldn't stop himself from watching him, hiding high up in the willow tree by the river so he couldn't be seen.

L really wanted to come down and talk to him, find out what his name was, what type of home he lived in, what he hoped to do when he grew up, and everything else he could think of.

_There's no one else around. What's the harm in going up and talking to him?_

But he couldn't. Watari warned him and the others against interacting with humans since most had an intense hatred for goblins.

_"They believe that we are all thieves, kidnappers, and murderers, all because of the actions of goblins in other kingdoms. They won't listen to reason and they won't make exceptions because you are young. They will either kill you on sight or force you to become a slave. Do not stray from the meadow, do not let them see you as you actually are, and above all else: do not tell them your real name."_

And even if he didn't believe Watari's warning, there was proof of human's cruelty with Axiom's death last spring, when hunters decided to sic their hounds on him just for being in the area. It stuck more than any words Watari said could and deeply hurt all of them, particularly Beyond who had shared a room with Axiom and refused to this day to return to the meadow.

This boy could be the nicest human in the world, but there was no guarantee that he wouldn't tell his parents about meeting a goblin and that would put L and his family in danger. Maybe if he had permission to use the disguising potion Watari and Roger used whenever they went to the market place to get food and supplies, but he wasn't allowed to use it until he was fully grown and he doubted they would let him use it just to talk to a random human boy. So L chose to just watch, making sure not to make any sounds or sudden movements as the boy approached the river.

Or at least that was his plan before he saw the boy slip and fall into the river. He struggled against the current, trying to get out of the water, and he managed to grab onto the root of the tree L was hiding in, but L knew that he wouldn't be able to hold on forever; the river would force him to let go and drown him, carrying him far away where he would never be seen again.

"NO!"

The young goblin scrambled down from the tree and, keeping one hand on the trunk, he extended the other to the boy.

"Take my hand! I'll pull you out!"

_I'm sorry, Watari. But I can't let this one die._

The boy hesitated for a moment, whether it was because L was a goblin or because he was worried that L wasn't strong enough to save him, he never knew, but he did as L said and grabbed onto the hand offered to him. L pulled as hard as he could and, to his relief, was able to pull the boy safely out and away from the water.

What he didn't account for was gravity forcing him to fall on his back and bring the boy down on top of him. There was a moment where they just stared at each other, the boy taking deep breaths to steady himself while L was trying his best to not react to the pain of having someone on top of him while his back was pressed against the rocks.

The boy, likely realizing how uncomfortable L was, hastily got off of him and offered his own hand to help him up, which L took.

"Thank you for saving me. I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't been here. What can I do to repay you?"

"Repay?"

"You know, a reward. If someone does something good for you, you should do something good for them in return. That's what my father taught me and I believe that's how the world should work." He looked particularly proud when he mentioned his father. "So what should I do for you since you saved my life?"

"Um...?"

_Does he even know who he's talking to? What I am? And why does he care about what I want?_

"If you could just promise not to mention to anyone that you saw me here, that would be enough. In fact, don't even mention that you were saved."

The boy looked confused.

"But that doesn't sound like a fair trade. And why don't you want recognition for what you did?"

L sighed.

"Not everyone has your sense of justice. Other people in your position wouldn't thank someone like me. They would either run away or start throwing stones at me." _And that's the best case scenario._

The boy looked shocked and angered at this. "That's barbaric! How could they do something like that to someone who helped them just because they look different from them?!"

"Guilt by association, I'm afraid. Because of the evil actions of _some_ goblins, they assume that _all_ goblins are evil."

The boy shook his head. "You're the first goblin I've ever met and I can assure you that you're not evil. I'll keep your secrets. But I still feel that isn't enough. Is there anything else I can do?"

"You can tell me about yourself. What do your parents call you?"

"My name is Light Yagami. Light is spelled like moon since I was born during a full moon."

"I'm L. I'm afraid I can't give you my full name." _I'm already breaking enough rules as it is; it's best I not break another one._

Light shook L's hand. "Well, I'm glad I met you, L."

* * *

For the next several months, L and Light continued to meet by the willow tree to talk and play together, without a care in the world about what the weather was like.

L learned of Light's family and his dreams of joining the royal guard someday, like his father. L, likewise, told Light about his own family--using their nicknames, of course--and his wish to travel beyond the meadow and prove to other people that he's not a monster. Light promised that he would support him whenever that day finally came and L promised to someday introduce him to his family and show him the world the meadow hid from humans, once he was sure Watari and the others would trust Light.

It was the happiest L had been, just spending time with this beautiful boy and being able to speak freely.

Unfortunately, it was not meant to last.

A sickness was sweeping through the kingdom and it infected both of Light's parents.

"I'm not going to be able to come out here as much as I want to, L. I need to be able to take care of my family and that might mean I'll have to get a job in order to keep us from being thrown out in the street and pay for the doctors. I'm sorry." 

The rain was heavy that day so L couldn't see the tears falling down Light's face.

"I understand. I will miss you."

Light clenched his fists, trying to compose himself, but L knew that it wasn't working this time. And sure enough, Light started shouting.

"It's not fair! Of all the people to get sick, it had to be my parents! Not even just one parent, both of them! Why couldn't it reach someone who deserved it, like the people who killed Axiom?!"

L reached out and hugged him. Light trembled in his arms, wrapping his own arms around L's back and burying his head into his shoulder, choking back a sob.

"I know it's not fair, Light. It's not right that your parents are sick, it's not right that you have to work to keep your family alive, and it's not right that all of this might be for nothing. I wish we lived in a fair and just world, but we don't."

A throat cleared behind both of them, causing both human and the goblin to separate and turn around. It was Watari, in his human disguise. His expression was unreadable, but L could tell he wasn't happy.

"Watari, I can ex--"

"We will talk about this later. Young man, how long have you been coming here?"

"For a few months, ever since L saved me from drowning."

"And you haven't told anyone else about us?"

Light shook his head.

Watari made a gesture with his hands and a peach appeared. He handed this to Light, who looked at it in confusion while L stared in horror.

"What's this for?"

"While I'm sure that you wouldn't willingly expose our presence in this kingdom, we cannot afford to have that secret revealed in the event of someone finding out you know and deciding to force the truth out of you. So you have to make a choice, Light. That peach will make you forget everything that has happened in the last few months if you eat it: L, any information about our world that he told you, and this very conversation will only be remembered as a dream. If you wish to keep your memories and continue seeing L, you will have to stay with us and become a goblin yourself."

Light hesitated. "I won't be allowed to see my family again if I become like you, will I?"

"I'm afraid not."

Light's hands shook. "My parents are sick. They need to be taken care of. And if they die, who will take care of Sayu?"

 _Then take her along with you._ That's what L wanted to say, to convince Light to stay with him, but couldn't say it, knowing that it was selfish and would do nothing to ease Light's concern.

"L, I'm so sorry! I don't want to leave you, but I can't leave my family behind! I swear that I'll find a way back to you someday!"

And then he bit into the peach and entered a dreamlike trance.

"L, return to the others. I will take him to his home. I am sorry about this, but he can't stay and this is the only way to keep everyone safe."

"I understand."

He didn't argue, he didn't cry, he just felt a cold, empty feeling in his chest as he saw Light leave the meadow with Watari. He wanted to believe him when he said he'd find a way back to him, but he didn't know how that was possible with how potent the magic used on him was and how closely Watari and Roger were likely to watch him to make sure he didn't try to reach out to him again. Once Light was out of sight, L returned to his home.

He would not see Light Yagami again for ten years.


	6. Chapter Five: A Happy End, A New Friend(?), and a Hopeful Beginning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Light returns home and attends Misa's coronation.

Misa awoke to a knock on her door early in the morning. She was tempted to ignore Kiyomi and sleep in a little longer, but the young Queen remembered something important that caused her to leap out of bed and open the door just as Kiyomi was about to knock again.

_My coronation is today. Which means I should be able to see Light again since he and the others should return today._

Misa wouldn't admit it to anyone at that time (though she had a feeling that Kiyomi and Rem already knew), but she had fallen in love with Light. She had been taken aback by how young and handsome Kira was (even when covered in bruises and cuts he had received from some less-than-kind castle guards) when she first went to see him, felt sorry for him since he too had lost his parents and was forced to grow up faster than he should have, and, from what she could see for herself and what she has heard from the people who knew him as Light rather than Kira, he was a kind and intelligent man. She had been tempted to release him immediately and had an even stronger impulse to marry him that night.

However, common sense told her that releasing and marrying a murderer like Kira solely because they were attractive and had a tragic past would not go over well with the people of Sakura, especially with quite a few people, noble and peasant alike, already under the impression that "her heart is bigger than her brain," which she realized was a polite way of calling her stupid. If the people found her to be too incompetent to rule, they could try to make plans to overthrow her and put a new ruler in charge, and that could lead to further problems for both her and the kingdom if they succeeded.

She also knew that forcing Light to marry her, and to do so suddenly when they just met, would do more harm than good. He could already have a sweetheart that Misa wasn't aware of and he'd be forced to say goodbye to her (or him, since she could not dismiss the possibility of Light being attracted to men), or not be interested in romance at all and resent her for taking away his freedom (even if it would save his life), or have _something_ that would compel him to continue killing and, regardless of how kind he may be to her and everyone else, use his new status to get away with it.

As Kiyomi prepared a bath and helped her select the outfit she would wear for coronation, Misa thought about her plans for Light, both to make sure he wouldn't kill again and (hopefully) to get Light to fall in love with her ~~and to find out if her own love for him is genuine instead of a desperate attempt to fill a hole in her heart~~.

_We both deserve to be happy and I believe that he is capable of good. I will set him free and pay him like I promised since he avenged my parents. Then we will see where we go from there._

* * *

"Welcome home, Light!"

Sayu hugged Light moments after he stepped off the boat, the suddenness almost causing him to fall over. After righting himself, he hugged her back.

Aizawa laughed at this. He was the current captain of the guard and, while he was more strict than Matsuda, he treated prisoners like they were humans and had personally thrown out any guard he caught assaulting them. He had agreed to look after Sayu while Light was away and, if something had happened to Light, would have done what he could to make sure that she would be able to support herself.

"She would not stop asking about when you would come home and she was worried that a sea serpent would destroy your ship. I expect you have a lot of catching up to do. But first, I need to take you all to the castle. The Queen's coronation is a few hours away and she wants to see you there."

* * *

Light soon found himself sitting beside Sayu in the chapel as they waited for Queen Misa to arrive. Instead of their usual attire, they had been given nicer clothes to wear for today (a pale gold dress for Sayu, and a deep red shirt and black trousers for Light).

While Sayu was excited to see the new Queen, Light found himself scanning the aisle to look for a different monarch.

_L said he would try to be here, but I don't see him and the coronation is about to begin. I hope nothing awful happened to him._

There was a soft _thud_ overhead and Light looked up just in time to see a black owl land on one of the wooden beams. _There must be an open window somewhere. Though I didn't expect to see an owl this early in the day._ His feathers were somewhat disheveled, though he did not appear to be injured in anyway (which Light considered a relief, even if he didn't know the full reason why), and rather than nod off to sleep, he looked around the room (at one point looking straight down at Light) before turning to the front as if he too were waiting for the Queen to arrive. Light would have brushed this off as being ridiculous, but then he remembered that there were some potions or spells that would disguise people as animals and, while they were usually used by witches or fairies, anyone could do it if they had the means. _Probably a latecomer who didn't want to risk drawing attention to himself if that is not a real owl. I wonder what he was doing._

Misa finally arrived. She wore a long-sleeved green gown with black lace trim and her blonde hair was tied into a braided bun. Her eyes were no longer bloodshot and while her expression was neutral, there was a nervous anticipation in her movements as she walked down the aisle toward the priest. Her eyes met Light's as she passed him and Sayu and, for a brief moment, he could've sworn she almost smiled.

Close behind her was Rem, looking as stern as ever, and a young woman with short black hair that Light recognized as the girl he saved from thieves a few years ago.

The priest, a young man with shoulder-length black hair and an intense stare, placed the crown on Misa's head and handed her the scepter and cross-bearing orb.

"Misa Amane, do you solemnly promise and swear to protect and provide for the people of Sakura?"

Light felt a chill in his blood as the man spoke and he found he couldn't focus on the rest of the ceremony as Misa took her vows. He knew that voice. It was the voice of the executioner. While he only spent a week in prison before Misa sent him to Yotsuba, it was enough to become accustomed to and fearful of the man that, had things gone differently, would have killed him.

The executioner would speak harshly to many of the prisoners, listing out their crimes and reminding them that God would judge them for what they've done, was often not gentle with them when he took them out of their cells and to their execution, and he was also in charge of torturing spies and traitors to find out what they knew. That alone caused many prisoners to all the more dread the day of their demise (which, depending on what they had done and how much contempt the man had for them, could either be a quick snap of the neck or a slow painful burn or something unimaginably _worse_ ), but _that_ wasn't what scared Light. No, it was the evening check-ins he came to dread.

Every night, the executioner would visit the cells of the prisoners set to die, to make sure that they had no way of escaping (weapons, broken bars on windows, lockpicks, etc.), check and treat injuries (be they self-inflicted or the result of a beating from one of the castle guards), and (if their execution was scheduled for the next day) ask if they would like to make their final confessions or say a prayer (something that, in hindsight, should have been Light's clue that the executioner was a member of the clergy). He would go to "Kira's" cell last and, outside of asking a few questions regarding any injuries or visitors, he would say nothing to Light. And sometimes he would just sit outside of Light's cell for hours and watch him, again without saying anything. He wore a mask so Light never saw his face, but he could feel his eyes on him, even when Light looked away, and since he never said anything, Light had no idea what he thought about him and his crimes or if he was planning to do something horrible to him for his execution.

Needless to say, he appeared in many of Light's nightmares over the last month (or at least the ones not connected to his sister running away) and Light had hoped that he would never be in his presence again. But there he was, officially announcing Misa's ascension to the throne. Sure, he was just a man, but the knowledge of who he was made it almost impossible for Light not to fear him. The man turned in his direction, a small frown appearing on his face for a brief moment.

_Shit, he recognizes me! He probably does not approve of the Queen's decision to let me go. Will he let it be or try to kill me anyway?_

* * *

Teru Mikami was no stranger to being feared. When he lived in the forest, animals would scatter at his approach (even when he wasn't hunting), children were warned to stay away from him, and many men tried (and failed) to kill him on sight. When he became the official executioner and moved to the castle, he would hear weeping during the night from various prisoners and be cursed at and spat on by the people he killed. Even when he started preaching the Lord's message, some people told him that his sermons inspired more fear than hope.

While Mikami was used to being feared and hated (and there were times where it had its uses), it didn't mean he liked it, especially when it came from someone he hoped would understand him. During the ceremony, as he was crowning his first and so far only friend Queen, his eyes fell on Light Yagami and he could see in the younger man's eyes the same fear he saw in many others and he felt his heart clench.

_You weren't like this in prison. You never cried, never shuddered when I touched you, never tried to steal the key from me and escape. So why now do you look at me like you are a stag caught in a snare?_

Not many knew this, but Mikami was reluctant to kill Kira when he was caught and was happy to learn of Misa's decision to give him a chance to redeem himself. In part, it was because the Lord said that everyone deserved a chance to atone (which was why he gave all prisoners, even the vile ones, one last chance to confess their sins and repent before he killed them), but the other reason was because he felt that he and Light were alike. While they were different types of killers (one an executioner and the other an assassin for hire), they both killed because it was necessary and both tried (when possible) to only kill those who deserved death. Honestly, the only kill of Light's that he did not approve of was the dame Naomi Penber's (née Misora) husband, and from what he could tell it wasn't out of malice.

While Light was in Yotsuba, Mikami, at the request of the new Queen, did his part to make sure that the one who arranged for the previous King and Queen to die would be the last to die at Kira's hands.

First, he found Kira's benefactor (a wealthy fairy named Ryuk) and (with some difficulty) managed to persuade him to no longer fund Kira's killings when he was released. Ryuk claimed that he was easily bored and that watching Light kill and struggle to survive was one of the few things to give him joy, but when he was told a little of what the Queen had planned for Light to try to reform him, he agreed to not approach Light again since he felt that _this_ would be more "entertaining." With the hard part done, Mikami had focused his attention on the rest of the things needed to make sure Light wouldn't be able to or even want to continue killing which he found more enjoyable to do. He only hoped that Light would accept the Queen's offer and that he could, in time, come to trust him.

He saw a black feather fall on Light. He glanced up and had to stop himself from giving in to his rage.

_Goblin King! What are you doing here?!_

While the goblins usually kept to themselves, their current leader had a tendency to get involved in the lives of various people and his interference usually had tragic consequences. Lost family heirlooms, destroyed relationships, even imprisonment and slavery on rare occasions have all happened thanks to the Goblin King's involvement and it all made Mikami's blood boil that he could do these things and seemingly feel no remorse for his actions. Not to mention his failure to properly reign in that _one_ goblin (who may or may not still be at large) resulting in the deaths of at least three people and injuries to many others. So he always did his best to dissuade people from asking for the King's help and would try to chase him back into one of his hiding holes whenever he saw him.

Yet despite his best efforts, the goblin continued to make deals and had taken to disguising himself like he was doing now.

_He must have made some sort of deal with Light since he keeps looking down at him! God, why did I not insist I go with them?! I could have protected him! If the King does anything to get Light thrown in the dungeons again or if he makes Light his slave, I will kill him!_

* * *

Light never felt comfortable at formal events. When he was Kira, he attended a few of these events when he had to tail one of his targets and while he had been able to blend in and, when need be, charm people into giving him the information he needed, he found he did not like being surrounded by overdressed aristocrats who had no idea how truly fortunate they were, especially when he overheard their often derisive conversations about people who struggled to stay alive.

Even now, he wanted to leave the ball that followed Misa's coronation, but he needed to stay longer since Aizawa told him that the Queen wanted to speak to him in private (once she was able to get away from the noble men who wished to dance with her) and he was still hoping that he could see L before the night was over. Plus, he felt that he owed Sayu one fun night to make up for being away for over a month and making her worry about him. He smiled as he watched Sayu dance with Matsuda; maybe if she were a little older, they'd be a perfect couple.

"Light Yagami."

He tensed as the executioner approached him, but he held his ground.

"Yes?"

"My name is Teru Mikami. I want to thank you for what you have done for the Queen. She still hasn't completely recovered from the loss of her parents, but she appears to be more at ease now that she has received justice. I hope that you live a long and happy life now that you are free."

"Thank you. And I am glad that she feels a little better." _Does he genuinely believe this or is he only acting this way because there are people present?_

"I also need to ask you a question. During your visit to Yotsuba, did you happen to meet the Goblin King?"

"Goblin King?"

"Ruler of Lilium, a kingdom that is far underground and inhabited by goblins. I believe he sometimes goes by the moniker 'L.'"

Light felt his heart stop. _So I was right? L is a goblin?_ "I did not meet any goblins in Yotsuba, though I did meet a man named 'L.'"

Mikami's eye twitched slightly. "Did this L offer you help in your mission in exchange for a favor?"

"He did." Another twitch. "But I do not think he's going to hurt anyone." 

Mikami sighed. "Well, I hope you are right. Just... be careful and make sure you keep your end of the bargain. If the L you met is the Goblin King, then you should know that bad things happen to those who break their promises with him, whether they mean to or not."

He bowed his head and took his leave. Light did not have time to think over what he just heard as the Queen arrived seconds later, out of breath and her face flushed, but happy. Light took a glass of wine from a passing servant and, after inspecting it for a moment, handed it to her. She drank it in one gulp.

"Thank you. I'm glad you could come to my coronation. Will you come dance with me?"

"Of course, your Majesty."

* * *

Misa felt like she was flying as she danced with Light. She wasn't sure if Light had any experience dancing before, but if he was a novice, he at least managed to avoid the cliché clumsy mistakes like stepping on her feet or dipping her so far down that her head collided with the floor. He was also great at making conversation; many of the nobles she danced with tonight were either too focused on themselves or kept bringing the conversation to depressing subject matters like the death of her parents. Light just kept the topic of conversation to normal things like asking what her favorite place was or what she had been doing for the last month outside of preparing for her coronation.

She wished that she could dance with him all night and get lost in his eyes, but she had to put her plans in motion or she might not get another chance. So as the song ended, she led Light out to the courtyard.

"Thank you once again for finding the one responsible for my parents' deaths. As promised, your execution will no longer be carried out, you will not be sent back to prison, and starting tomorrow, you will receive 5,000 pounds a month."

His eyes widened a little bit and she had to stop herself from laughing at his reaction.

"Are you sure? That is a lot of money to pay every month for a one-time job. I wouldn't want to take money that could be going toward more important causes like providing food for the poor or making sure the kingdom is safe from potential attackers."

"I promised that I would make sure that you and your sister would be able to live comfortably for the rest of your lives if you succeeded so that is what I intend to do. It would be very bad if I only paid you one time and you ended up back in jail because you became Kira again once the money ran out. Besides, I would consider ensuring that Kira never kills again so that the people of Sakura feel a little safer an important cause worth investing in."

"I guess that makes sense. Thank you for your generosity."

There was a moment of silence as Misa prepared herself for what she would say next.

"Listen, Light--is it okay if I call you Light?" At his nod, she continued, "If you don't mind me asking, how did you become Kira in the first place? I know that money was likely a big contributor, but I doubt that was the only reason; if you only cared about the money, you wouldn't have been so selective about the people you chose to kill and probably wouldn't have protested the amount of money I was offering."

Another pause as Light debated telling her or not.

"The first man I killed was the man who murdered my and Sayu's parents. His name escapes me, but I remember that he killed them because my father had discovered that he was a criminal and was gathering evidence against him. He set our house on fire, intending to kill all of us and destroy the evidence; I managed to escape with Sayu, but mother and father couldn't get out in time. The man got away with killing them because he was rich. For the next five years, I took on whatever odd job I could find, many of them in unsavory parts of the kingdom with employers who were rude at best and cruel at worst, to make sure that we didn't starve and my anger toward the man who ruined our lives and remained unpunished grew.

"I saw the man again when I was thirteen. He had gone to a tavern I was working at with some friends and seeing him able to live his life how he wanted without a care in the world while I had to work demeaning jobs just to keep us alive and be constantly worried that some sick bastard would try to come on to Sayu while my back was turned caused something inside me to snap. I followed him home and challenged him to a duel. It was a stupid and impulsive move that nearly got me killed because I was inexperienced and he did not fight fairly, but in the end I managed to kill him.

"That was when I discovered that I had an audience: someone named Ryuk followed me from the tavern. Instead of raising the alarm and having me arrested, he complimented the way I killed the man and gave me a lot of money, enough for Sayu and I to eat well for the next month. He told me that he would give me more money if I continued killing and that he would be watching me. For the next few days, I also heard rumors that other victims of his were glad that he was dead, that they felt their prayers had been answered.

"So I continued to kill people. I knew that it was wrong, that my parents were likely ashamed of me for going against everything they taught me, but I felt that it would be worth it if I could keep Sayu and myself alive and remove truly horrible people from the world. Even now, after being spared from execution because of your compassion and people close to me urging me to not become Kira again, I'm not completely sure if I've done enough; the world is still rotten and honest people still suffer for speaking out against those who make it this way."

Misa knew most of this already, but hearing it from his lips made her want to cry. She managed to compose herself, however, as she finally responded.

"I know that this will not be enough to make up for what happened to you, but I will do my best to make sure that the laws are upheld and that no one will get away with willfully harming others because of how much money they have or who they know."

Light smiled. "Thank you, your Majesty."

"In private, call me Misa. 'Your Majesty' feels too formal for a conversation between friends."

"Okay, Misa."

"Light, I have another request of you."

"What is it, Misa?"

 ~~ _I want you to marry me._~~ "I want you to teach me how to defend myself."

"I'd be happy too, but I feel you'd learn better techniques from a knight rather than an ex-assassin."

"Not exactly true. When you gave me a glass of wine, I saw you check to make sure it wasn't tampered with. Most people probably wouldn't think to do that, they would assume that it was safe since the food tester didn't find anything wrong with it and that even if someone poisoned or drugged the glass after it left the kitchen, there would be no way to ensure that specific glass would go to me. That's what I'd like to be able to do, to be able to recognize threats other people may miss and be able to handle them myself if there's no one around to save me." _It would be unfair and unrealistic to rely on Teru and Kiyomi to protect me at all times, even more so to rely on Rem since she will die if she kills anyone, and the guards can't be everywhere at once._

"Very well. When would you like to start?"

"Tomorrow afternoon, if that's all right with you." _I hope I don't come across as too desperate._

"Fine by me." He and Misa shook hands, though Misa wished she could hug him.

Then a voice called from the doorway, "Oh, there you are, Light! I was worried you had already left."

They turned to see L, the King of Lilium, approach them. He wore a blue dress shirt and dark grey trousers, black boots (but no hose, apparently), and atop the mess of black hair was a silver crown.

Misa wasn't entirely sure how she felt about this ruler since she had just met him earlier that night and her conflicting feelings would only grow the more she learned about him. On one hand, he was smart, funny, and was oddly cute in a way. But on the other hand, he had no real sense of personal space, said a few things to her that were either confusing pieces of advice or thinly veiled insults, and the _look_ he was giving Light at that moment--a _look_ that Light shyly reciprocated--caused her to feel like someone had stabbed her.

She had a strong impulse to scream at him and possibly hit him for good measure, but she just smiled and curtsied when he bowed to her. _Calm down, Misa._ _It would not be good for you to assault a potential ally for being attracted to Light._

"I hope I wasn't interrupting anything."

"No, we were just finishing our conversation. Light is going to give me some self-defense lessons."

"I see. A very useful thing for you to learn and I'm sure Light will be an excellent teacher."

_There he goes again. I can't tell if he's being genuine or if he's mocking me._

"I think so too. Speaking of, it appears that you two know each other. Care to tell me how you met L, Light?"

Light seemed a little surprised that he wouldn't be ignored during this conversation , but he managed to recover quickly. "We met in Yotsuba. He and his brothers actually helped us during our investigation when we were having difficulty finding evidence."

_So he's the helper Rem was talking about. That does make me like him a little more. But then again, Rem appeared to be apprehensive about him and she told me that she had to tell me something important about him later on._

"Well, it's good to know that you were able to find a good _friend_ to help you out." She turned her attention to L, who did not miss the emphasis she put on the word "friend" and from the way his lips quirked was either amused or annoyed. "Is there anything I can do to thank you for helping Light?"

The King shook his head. "Your friendship is reward enough for me. If you're in trouble, I'll help you and if I'm in trouble, you'll help me."

"Very well. Let's be friends then. You too, Light." She grabbed each of them by the hand and spun them around for a few moments. Sure, it was childish, but she didn't care in that instance. Well, she did feel another twinge of jealousy when she saw L take Light's free hand, but she chose to let it go. "Well, I need to check in with the other guests and I can see that you have some catching up to do. I'll see you tomorrow, Light. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, your Majesty."

"Goodnight, Misa."

As Misa went inside, she thought over the results of today.

_Well, it seems that Light's at least willing to give me a chance to fix things before he goes back to being Kira and he has agreed to give me lessons on defending myself so I'll have a chance to get to know him. The only problem is that it appears I'm not the only one who wants to earn Light's love. And the fact that they already know each other and have a connection makes it a little more difficult for me. But I will do what I can to get Light to love me._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy crap, this took way too long to write! I feel I could have finished this last week if I weren't suffering from jet lag, but I was so I couldn't focus on anything onscreen for very long. =( And unlike last time, I don't have a scrapped chapter to give you to make up for the delay. I'm sorry. Thank you for your patience.
> 
> I'm hoping that Misa isn't too out of character here. I just felt that for this particular story I did not want Misa to be stupid because I feel that in canon, she isn't. Impulsive, clingy, and certainly not as intelligent as Light or L, sure, but not stupid. I feel that if she had someone (preferably someone who actually cares about her) to take her aside and properly explain why some of the things she wanted to do were bad ideas, maybe things could have worked out better for her. And in this story, thanks to Rem, she is able to hold herself back when it comes to some more impulsive decisions. She still gets jealous and she still falls in love with Light a little too quickly, but she will (for the most part) think things through and come up with a plan.
> 
> And Mikami is now in the story because we don't have enough potential antagonists. Honestly, figuring out what role he would play and how he views Light was a little difficult to figure out. When the story was still an idea, I initially thought that he would just be some bigot against goblins who almost screws up everything towards the end of the story by trying to kill L, but I felt that idea wasn't fleshed out enough. I also wasted a few hours trying to figure out if someone could be both a priest and an executioner before I reminded myself, "This is a fairy tale, you don't have to worry too much about historical inaccuracies in a place where magic exists." I also haven't decided yet if Mikami is attracted to Light or if he just wants to be friends with him, but I feel either could be a good source of drama, especially regarding Light's relationship with L.
> 
> So for this month, I'm going to try to focus on working on my novel so while I will still try to work on this and other fanfics, I apologize in advance if I don't update or publish anything else this month. Take care, everyone!


	7. Chapter Six: Confessions and Schemes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Light has to battle with his prejudice when L confirms what he suspected and reveals the reason for the deal. Meanwhile, two people learn of Light's bargain with L and plan accordingly.

Soon after Misa left them, L laughed a little bit.

"What's so funny?"

"Your Queen appears to be smitten with you."

"Don't be ridiculous."

"Come on. I saw the way she was looking at you and she seemed a little agitated when I showed up. I wonder how long it will be before she'll ask for your hand."

"If you are right, probably a long way off, assuming she doesn't get tired of me before then." _Why would she want me? Even if no one knew I was previously Kira, people would find it odd if she chose to marry me, the son of a dead knight few people remember, instead of someone of noble birth, someone from a kingdom she could form an alliance with. Though, marrying her wouldn't be bad since she's kind and seems to genuinely want to make improvements to the kingdom she inherited and doing would help me fulfill the promise I made to L. But I seriously doubt she's actually in love with me and even if she was, it wouldn't be right to marry her just to have a child, especially since she might not be fine with that child becoming L's even if she is still allowed to see them._

L ran his fingers through Light's hair, interrupting his train of thought and the younger man had to stop himself from leaning into his touch. L held up a small black feather between his thumb and forefinger.

"Sorry about that. Hopefully, no one noticed it."

"Wait, you were the owl from earlier?"

"Yes. I wish I could have sat next to you, but I'm not exactly... _wanted_ at these events. I receive invitations since they fear that I'll do something bad to them if they don't, but they usually don't expect me to show up and when I do, and when they realize who I am, I'm usually met with glares and sometimes threats."

Light almost asked why, but Mikami's words came back to him.

L continued. "In this kingdom in particular, there's a bear that shows up to my hideaways unannounced to interrogate me about my reasons for being here and once almost hurt Near when he was acting in my place." L looked up at Light and the younger man saw a flicker of anxiousness in his dark eyes. "I saw him speak to you earlier this evening, Teru Mikami. What did he tell you?"

Light hesitated for a moment, unsure if it was because he was afraid of offending L or if he was afraid of it being true.

"He asked if I met the Goblin King while I was in Yotsuba. He said that he was the ruler of Lilium and that he went by the name of L. He also asked if I made a deal with him and told me to make sure I keep it since bad things happen to the people who don't."

L sighed. "Well, I was going to tell you anyway, but I wish that you didn't hear it from him first. I am the King of Lilium and, at present, everyone living in Lilium is a goblin, including myself."

Light said nothing, but inside his emotions were at war.

_I should have known! His appearance, the deal, all of it! He's a goblin! And I fell for it, fell for him, and now my child is going to suffer!_

**_No!_ ** _He promised that I could see them. If he wanted to abuse them, he wouldn't have invited me to visit and he wouldn't have gotten so close to me._

_That proves nothing! He could just be a pervert who enjoys the idea of having multiple people to manipulate as he sees fit. He'll probably use their wellbeing as leverage against me. And to think that a few nights ago, I **wanted** to--ugh! Where's my knife?!_

_L. Is. Not. A. Monster! Yes, he's a goblin and yes he was dishonest about who he was. But he helped save me from execution and he won't hurt my child._

Light took a deep breath before he spoke again, deciding it was best to learn the whole truth before he chose to burn any bridges.

"When you said that you couldn't tell me the full reason for the child deal that night, was that the only thing you were keeping from me?"

L shook his head.

"While I wasn't lying about wanting to be with you, there was another motive to make the deal that is tied to my identity. Goblins have always been hated. Some of the hatred is understandable because of the crimes some have committed, other times it is based on nothing more than rumor. You likely heard several of them as a child while your parents were still alive."

Light remembered several of the myths he heard about goblins, but the one that stuck with him was that goblins would come to take someone away if you willed them to. This usually happened to unwanted children and they were never seen again; some versions said that it was because the goblins were too powerful to escape, others said that the children became goblins themselves and were happier for it. Whatever the case, this was a warning to Light and Sayu to never, no matter angry they get at each other, wish harm on the other or on anyone else they held dear. And with Sayu disappearing for a few days (with him still not completely knowing how she returned to him) after losing his temper once, Light vowed to not be so careless again.

"This mistrust often resulted in violent acts against us, up to and including death. We tried to keep our distance from humans by staying in the deepest parts of the forest unless we needed supplies, but they continued to harass us and hunt us down, either out of a misguided vengeance or purely for sport. One such hunt resulted in the death of my parents when I was very young, about seven or eight."

Light felt a familiar anger in his chest, the same one he felt the night his own parents died or when he saw someone who couldn't defend theirself be mistreated.

"After this happened and I was taken in by my godfather Watari, I decided that the goblins should unite and form their own kingdom so that we would no longer be prey. So we found a place far underground and built a city with connecting tunnels throughout the world so that we could easily travel between the kingdoms, began using potions to disguise ourselves when interacting directly with humans, and began making treaties with the other kingdoms to establish our boundaries and ensure that we would never endure another massacre. The kingdom was named Lilium and after much debate and a few trials to determine who would be best to rule, I was crowned King at age ten.

"However, while most of the violence against us stopped, the mistrust remained and many people refuse to acknowledge Lilium as a legitimate kingdom since only goblins lived there and would often ignore the treaties we made until consequences came into play. And while we tried many times to get others to stay with us, the only times most people seek us out is if they need a place to hide or if they want us to use our magic to help them, neither of which happened often and often lead to more negative rumors being spread about us.

"That is the main reason I want a child, Light. I want people to see that we're not evil, that we are capable of caring for and protecting others, not just our own kind. I was unable to adopt since many orphans feared that I only wanted to eat them or put them to work in a gold mine or some other nonsense and the few who did come along did not want to stay for longer than a week, missing the company of the human friends they left behind.

"So I tried approaching and courting young women and men that I admired and felt would be good parents since I wanted them to stay in the child's life, offering to help them achieve their hearts' desire if they would give me their child and stay with me. But they all said no, either because settling down and having a child did not fit in with their dreams at that point in time or because they were disgusted with me for being a goblin and in some cases for deceiving them."

_Great, so he has a history of lying to others to try to get what he wants. Remind me again why I'm not telling him to piss off?_

_He wasn't planning on lying to them about who he was forever, he just needed to establish a connection first. And I don't really think I'm in a position to judge about honesty; the truth would have gotten me jailed and executed much sooner if I told people what I actually did for a living and I wouldn't exactly go up to a woman and tell her "Hello, my name is Light Yagami and I ~~am~~ was Kira. Will you marry me and have my children so that I can send our firstborn away to live with goblins?"_

"Eventually, one person agreed to give their child to me and also agreed to marry me: a brave woman who had the child conceived under less than ideal circumstances as she was attempting to uncover the truth about a corrupt lord who had murdered all of his previous wives and had hidden their bodies in his home. While she did not need help finding the evidence she needed to expose his crimes, she needed protection against him since the evidence in question was also his way to find out if she had found the bodies and he was unlikely to spare her, if only temporarily, just because she was carrying a potential heir. I used my magic to delay the lord's discovery of what she had done long enough for her to escape and provide her evidence to the Royal guards. I also allowed her to stay with me for a few days in case he tried looking for her before the guards could arrest him. We planned to marry once her husband was executed."

A new memory came to Light: _he was sitting across a younger Naomi Misora and the goblin who caught Light when he fell, the goblin known as L. She was laughing about something that was said (though Light couldn't remember what it was in that instant) and L planted a soft kiss to her hand._

"She gave birth to a girl that she named Iris and I was looking forward to officially welcoming them into the family."

His voice wavered a little as he said this and Light was filled with dread about what the goblin would say next.

"Unfortunately, that did not happen. A week before the wedding and a month before Iris's first birthday, Beyond, a former brother of mine who I thought I could trust, drowned her. And because she was not mine when she died, that went against the contract I made with the mother and instead of becoming my Queen, she became my servant."

"Contract? Servant?"

"When Lilium was founded, it was decided that, in order to avoid being taken advantage of by humans, our magic--outside of our ability to transform into owls or the potions we use--would be bound to treaties and contracts instead of being used freely or because someone forced us to under pain of death. The treaties are simply an agreement to either provide additional protection for a kingdom or just not declare war on one in exchange for them to not damage the forests or hunt us down. Contracts are a different matter and they're a recent reason for the distrust felt toward goblins. The goblin uses their magic on behalf of a human for a specific purpose and in return the human must fulfill a promise for the goblin. Both are bound to the contract and there are consequences if either of them breaks their word; if the goblin fails, they become the human's servant, and if the human fails, they become the goblin's servant."

Light felt himself begin to sweat. _This is what Mikami was talking about. If I don't give L the child he asked for, I'll lose my freedom. Christ! He could have warned me before we made the deal! Some friend!_

_It wouldn't have made any difference. I didn't want to die and there was no way we'd be able to prove Higuchi was responsible and get rid of him without L's help unless we wanted to start a war. At that point, he could have asked me to never kill again or that I share a bed with him for one night and I probably still would have said yes._

"Most of the favors that we ask for are simple: a locket for a room of straw to be spun into gold, a cow for special beans that could grow into a giant beanstalk that reached the clouds, a promise to return home before midnight in exchange for a change of clothes and transportation to a ball. But there are times where we asked for something they couldn't give or because of poor word choice we made a task that should have been easy into something that could easily go wrong. The deal I made with Na...with _her_ , similar to the deal I made with you, suffered from two instances of poor wording: the child would not be mine until I married her mother, which took far too long since her husband used his money and title to delay his execution despite his crimes, and I specified that it had to be the firstborn child. That long delay resulted in Beyond's resentment toward humans for the death of his lover to grow to the point that he started killing and injuring people who never did anything to hurt him or anyone else.

"I tried everything I could think of to free her from me since it wasn't her fault, but nothing worked and she is still my servant to this day. I still speak with her and I still care about her, but I feel she hasn't completely forgiven me for what happened and I do not blame her."

The King turned away, but not before Light saw tears trailing down his pale cheeks.

"She came to me shortly after our last meeting in the forest and she called me out for lying to you and warned me of the possibility that I may have trapped you in a similar situation. While I did not require you to marry me in order for the child to become mine, I still specified that it be the firstborn and to make sure that you have time to bond with the child, I said that I wouldn't come to claim the child until they lived a full year. I fear that Beyond is still alive and will try to kill your baby before the deal is complete, possibly even try to kill them while in their mother's womb.

"I don't want to lose this child and I don't want to lose you. I will understand if you hate me for deceiving you and never want to see me again. But please allow me to make sure that this child won't die before you tell me to leave."

Light thought long and hard about what L revealed to him.

He was still angry and hurt that L had kept all of this secret, even on the same night he had kissed him and claimed that he wanted to be with him. And on top of being lied to, Light's life and freedom were in jeopardy again because of a magical contract and someone who held a grudge against humans and L as well. He recognized the name "Beyond;" it was the name of someone he had been asked to kill for blinding and later murdering a teenaged girl. He had found him and cornered him inside of an abandoned church, but before he could deliver the killing blow, the royal guards had surrounded them, forcing both to flee. Then Light was arrested by Misora and was quickly sentenced to death, eventually leading to this moment. Learning that Beyond was a goblin changed nothing, but knowing that infants and unborn children were not safe from his bloodlust and that Light could not kill him unless he wanted to go back to prison made his blood boil once more.

There was also the fear, influenced by all the stories Light was told as a child, that L could still be lying to him now, that these affectionate and sensual gestures (the kiss, the hair touching, the excited gleam he saw in his dark eyes whenever he looked at him) and this sad story were just to placate him so he wouldn't refuse to have the child. Or, that because there was a political motivation for having a child, that he only cared about having the child and that he would not give the child the love they deserved.

But there was a part of him that wanted to believe that L loved him, that he was willing to do what he could to help protect and care for the child that would become his, and Light was willing to forgive him for lying since he understood the reasons why. He also found that he admired L more now after hearing how he helped to build a kingdom to improve his situation and the situation of the other goblins at such a young age and after losing his parents. Most people Light knew, most _humans_ he knew, would either completely give up on life or turn to crime in order to survive if they even suffered a tenth of what L experienced.

He moved so that he was standing in front of L, who had his eyes closed and while his expression was calm, he was shaking.

After another long moment, he finally made his decision and acted on his true feelings.

* * *

L had closed his eyes, not wanting to see Light's face when he started screaming at him like he thought he would. He wouldn't be surprised if Light tried to kill him since they were alone. He just hoped that Light would get it over with since the silence allowed every insult hurled at him from his previous lovers when they rejected him and of Naomi's sobs when they found Iris' body to echo in his mind.

He heard Light's footsteps approach him and he braced himself for the worst.

He suddenly felt himself pulled into Light's arms. Startled, he opened his eyes and looked up at Light. He could see no trace of hatred or anger in the man's expression and in his amber, almost golden, eyes there was compassion, caring, _love_. 

"I don't want you to leave. I do not like that you did not tell me this at the beginning, but you choosing to tell me this now instead of continuing the lie and offering to help me tells me that you really do care about me and about this child." He then touched L's face, using his thumbs to wipe away the tears that started falling again and planting a kiss to his forehead. The King, at a complete loss for words, wrapped his own arms around Light and buried his face in his neck.

They stayed like that for several minutes, neither of them speaking a word, just holding each other and listening to the other's heartbeat.

L felt the potion starting to wear off just as thunder clapped and raindrops began to fall. He started to panic.

_Light may have accepted who I am, but I doubt the guests would react well to a goblin appearing before them. I need to get out of here before I'm found, but it might not be safe to fly right now._

Light ran a comforting hand through L's hair. He seemed a little surprised to see L's true appearance but not in a disgusted way, much to L's relief.

"What's wrong?"

"I was announced as King L of Lilium at this party. Most people are unaware that Lilium is the goblin kingdom and I used a potion to appear human to reduce the chance of provoking an attack. If they see me like this..."

Light went to the edge of the balcony, appearing to be searching for something.

"There's a tree over there, it looks like it will be strong enough to bare our weight. Is one of your hideaways close by?"

"The nearest one is a mile away, beneath two trees joined together by the root. But why--?"

"Let me take you home. I don't want you to get hurt. I just need to let someone know I'm leaving so that Sayu will have a place to stay for the night."

"Tell Naomi. She knows who I am and has a good relationship with most of the other guards."

"Okay. Wait here."

Five minutes later, Light returned, carrying a rope. After tying one end of the rope around his waist, he bent down so that he was level with L.

"Climb onto my back and hold on tightly."

L did as Light said and wrapped his arms and legs around Light. The man stood up, tied the other end of the rope to one of pillars of the railing, and made his way over the railing and onto the nearby tree. He carefully made his way down the tree as L continued to hold on. Once they were almost completely down, Light cut the rope from his waist and wrapped the loose end around the branch he was holding onto so that it would not be easy to spot. Light's feet touched the ground, but he did not set L down, instead hooking his arms around the goblin's legs.

"Where to from here?"

* * *

"So the King of Lilium is a goblin."

"That is correct, Misa. And he has made some sort of deal with Light Yagami in exchange for his help exposing Higuchi," Rem told her gravely. They had left the ballroom, not wanting anyone to eavesdrop on their conversation.

Kiyomi and Teru were also present.

"I heard that goblins only form contracts with humans when they have to use their magic. I wonder what type of magic the King used for this?" She then turned away so that she could remove the diamonds that appeared in her mouth.

Teru was less calm. "Light will have to keep his promise with him or he will become a slave to the goblins. If I wasn't afraid of making Light's debt worse, I'd kill the King in front of everyone for potentially condemning a newly freed man to a different prison."

Misa frowned, running a hand through the bear's hair to calm him down before he lost control of his human form, though she too was worried about how this deal may affect Light.

"Do we know what the deal is? That may be the best way to help Light if negotiating with L is out of the question."

"Dame Naomi may know. She herself is the victim of a failed contract with the Goblin King before she married the late sir Raye. Though I advise you to tread carefully when asking about her time with the goblins since she seems pretty sensitive about that topic."

Misa found Naomi talking to Captain Aizawa.

"If Light Yagami does not return before the party is over, is it all right if Sayu stays with you for one more night?"

"Of course. Yumi likes having her around and I assume that Sayu and Light would want to see their new home together."

"Home?"

"Queen Misa ordered for a new cottage to be built for the Yagamis to live in so that they no longer have to stay at seedy inns or abandoned shacks during the night. Construction finished this morning."

_Damn, I forgot to tell Light about that! I'll have to tell him tomorrow when he comes for our lesson._

"Good evening, Captain Aizawa, Naomi. Forgive me, but I couldn't help but overhear you saying that Light Yagami left. Where did he go?"

"He's...escorting his friend home," Naomi explained. "And it's raining pretty heavily out there so it's uncertain if he'll be returning before the evening is done."

_Right, Rem said that L was using some magic to make himself look like a human to avoid drawing unwanted attention. It probably wore off and he had to find another way to leave the ball. ~~I just wish he could have done so without stealing my Light away.~~_

"A pity. I told him about the reward money, but the cottage completely slipped my mind. If you could please bring Sayu to the castle tomorrow at noon, Captain Aizawa, I will make sure to correct my mistake; her brother has agreed to give me some lessons in self-defense starting tomorrow."

"Ah. Okay, I'll be sure to bring her back here tomorrow, your Majesty."

"Thank you. Naomi, if you have a moment, I would like to speak with you alone."

The woman seemed a little apprehensive, but she bid Captain Aizawa goodnight and followed Misa out of the ballroom.

"Naomi, it has come to my attention that Light has made a deal with the King of Lilium in order to find out who ordered the murder of my parents. You also recently disclosed that you are an informant for the King because of an agreement that you were unable to keep due to a tragic circumstance beyond your control." Naomi flinched somewhat at her word choice. While not completely sure what offended her, Misa amended her sentence. "Sorry, outside of your control. If you know and if you don't mind telling me, could you please tell me what Light promised him in exchange for his help?"

Naomi hesitated, placing a protective hand over her belly and looking around the room as if worried that _someone_ would listen in.

"King L asked Light Yagami to give him his firstborn child, the same thing he asked of me when I needed help escaping my first husband. I found this out when I followed Light into a forest in Yotsuba the night before we returned home and he met with King L. The child will stay in Lilium, but he will allow Light to visit the child whenever he wants and appears to encourage that he do. I assume he will also allow the mother of Light's child to visit as well; while I was the first one to agree to the deal, I was not the first person he asked and, with the exception of the deceased or those who were needlessly cruel, he would try to get the other parent involved."

Misa felt as though there were some things that Naomi was deliberately omitting, but Misa did not press her on it, not wanting to upset her.

"Thank you for telling me."

"Your Majesty, pardon me for being inquisitive, but are you thinking of marrying Light Yagami?"

A long pause as Misa considered how much she should reveal to her.

"Not right now since that would not be good for either of us, but the idea has crossed my mind."

"If you decide to go through with marrying him and become pregnant with his child, be very careful of who you allow to get close to you and make sure someone is who they say they are or appear to be. There are those who want Light to fail, those who do not want King L to have custody of a human child, and those who do not care who they have to hurt in order to get what they want. You're learning how to defend yourself from Light and you have several powerful friends willing to protect and help you, but diligence is the key to keeping yourself and the baby safe from all potential attackers until L comes to claim them. Maybe if I had been more careful, Iris would--"

Naomi's voice broke. Misa placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Thank you for the warning. Whatever happened to your daughter was not your fault; anyone who tells you otherwise is no friend of yours. You're going to be a great mother."

Naomi nodded, whispered a quiet "thank you," and took her leave.

_So it seems that L wants Light's baby as well as Light himself. And if Light is in love with him, then the best that I can hope for is that he will choose me to have his child._

Misa felt the stab of jealousy again. ~~_That's all I'm good for in a relationship?! Carrying a man's child just so he can give them away to someone else, someone that he may or may not be in bed with right now?! **NO!** I deserve better treatment than that, I do not deserve to be cast aside like some whore after giving him what he wants!_~~

Misa took a deep breath as she made her way back to the others, forcing a smile onto her face in case she passed a guest that had wandered away from the party; can't have the kingdom seeing the Queen be so upset.

_It would probably be in my best interest to not pursue Light after all. Being married to a man who does not return my love will only make me miserable. Besides, as Naomi pointed out, carrying Light's child would put a target on my back and after losing my parents and nearly being raped last month, I've had enough people trying to hurt me for a lifetime. Light can find another woman to have a child with, someone who won't be as hurt if a baby is all Light wants from her, is fine with sharing her husband with the Goblin King, and is more than capable of defending herself from attacks._

A more rational woman would have ended her line of thought there and moved on with her life. But Misa was unwilling to let Light go so easily so she kept thinking as she walked.

_Then again, what if Light can't find such a woman? In addition to most women probably not wanting their child, especially their first child, to become a goblin's child or have themselves or their unborn child be in constant danger, whispers are already spreading that Kira was pardoned and some people may piece together that Light was him and try to keep their distance. Plus, from what I've heard from the women he courted in the past, he's good at talking and listening, but is bad at displaying or returning affection, treating them more like sisters than sweethearts (though he doesn't seem to have that problem with L). And how long is L willing to wait for the baby? Will there come a point where he decides Light is taking too long and calls the deal off? Then Light would become his servant and no one would be happy. It would be cruel of me to not do what I can to help._

She returned to her friends and a genuine smile was in place.

"L wants a baby, specifically Light's firstborn. Light must find someone to have a child with and the child will need to be protected until L comes to take the child back to his home. Both parents are allowed to visit the child."

Rem and Teru did not appear completely happy about this, but there was some relief in knowing what the task was and that it wasn't impossible. Kiyomi let out a cough that sounded suspiciously like a laugh.

They all returned to the party, agreeing to meet up again once all the guests left to discuss how best to help Light with his task.

_I'll show Light that marrying me will be the best decision he will ever make; even if he loves L more, he needs me and I'm not going away._

* * *

Meanwhile, out in the rain, an exiled goblin sat atop a castle spire, looking down on all the people at the coronation party. He sneered as he saw his former King allow himself to be carried off by a human as if he were a child. And with that human being the infamous Kira, he wanted to let out a laugh, a long and bitter one.

_You really have lowered your standards, haven't you, Lawlife? At least Naomi stopped murderers. Speaking of, how does she feel about you seducing the man who killed her husband? Maybe I should ask her, for old times sake._

Of course, he wouldn't actually do that, at least not right now. He knew that L becoming this intimate with a human could only mean one thing: he was trying to get the man's firstborn child.

_Dear brother, when will you learn that making friends with these humans is a lost cause? Do you really think that if little Iris were still alive today, they would have accepted us just because you helped raise her? Or that Naomi wouldn't have tired of you and resented you for keeping her underground? They're all the same! And this Kira is no different! Either rise up and dominate them or cut all ties with them!_

Disrupting this deal would be an easy fix and with luck there won't even be a baby to kill ( ~~Iris's echoing cries for help still haunted him~~ ). All he had to do was provoke Kira into attacking someone in a way where L, the new Queen Misa, or anyone else had no way to save him from execution before the child was conceived. Failing that, he could always frame him and get the same result; he could impersonate L perfectly, why couldn't he do the same for Kira?

Beyond Birthday smirked before transforming into an owl and flying off.

_Someday, L, you'll see that I'm right._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey. Sorry again that this took so long (especially with an unlucky incident involving hot chocolate that resulted in me needing to get a new laptop), but I managed to update it before Christmas! Also, if you reread some previous chapters, you may notice that I've made some light changes outside of grammar corrections; nothing too big, just small changes to reflect the way the plot currently like removing a minor and now irrelevant plot point that made no real sense and won't lead to anything.
> 
> So I wasn't sure if I wanted Mikami to be a wolf or a bear. On one hand, I already gave Misa a red cloak for one scene and had Mikami be her friend so making him a wolf would complete the Red-Riding Hood reference. Then again, there are a few interesting fairy tales featuring bears so that may be more interesting than just going with wolf. So I asked my boyfriend which would work better and he said to go with bear. Haven't really based him on a specific fairytale character, especially since I haven't decided yet if he's a human that turns into a bear against his will because of a curse like the prince from Snow White and Rose Red or if he's a bear that found a way to become human, but if I figure it out I may write a companion piece to this story about that, possibly write one for other characters that are influenced by other fairy tales too if anyone would be interested.
> 
> So the next chapter (whenever that may be; looking at my track record and considering I want to finish writing that Christmas fic for Death Note I started and will have my boyfriend coming into town for New Year's, I doubt there will be another chapter before 2021, though I could be wrong) is going to be some fluff between Light and L while they wait out the storm in the hideaway. I'm debating having some lemon too, but I'm on the fence since I'm not sure how well it would work with the rest of the story (or if it's too early for that) and I have never written a sex scene before, explicit or otherwise. Should I give it a try and have it be in this one chapter so that if people don't want to see smut they can just skip it whenever the next chapter arrives or should I just stick with fluff for now?
> 
> See you all later! Happy Holidays and let's hope for a much better New Year!


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